Scars
by BK Love-ah
Summary: While trying to finish Caliban's bride, Victor suggests that his firstborn find a human woman to temporarily preoccupy himself with. The one Caliban chooses is Beret McGrane, and she has some scars of her own. This story will be dark in some spots. Don't like, don't read. I DO NOT OWN PENNY DREADFUL, only my original character. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello! Just a word of friendly warning. As any Penny Dreadful fan would know, the overall storyline is not a light-hearted one. This story is no exception. There will be some not very nice moments down the road, so if you don't like dark themes, this isn't the story for you.**_

_**With that said, I hope you enjoy chapter 1.**_

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_London_

Beret McGrane looked on as the body of Sigrid, her mother, was loaded onto a dusty wooden cart.

"Here," she said, handing the man her only remaining pound. "See her buried."

"Right, love."

She didn't bother to watch as the cart rolled away. It wasn't as if her mother was still in the body. In fact, a little part of Beret wondered why she cared so much.

Sigrid had always been cruel to her. Then again, Beret was no stranger to cruelty. Her father was a horrid drunk. He passed on when she was a child, but not before beating her within an inch of her life. Beret had a nasty scar as a constant reminder, but she didn't really need to be reminded of her apparently wretched status, as she always had her darling mother for that.

That vile woman didn't go a single week without taking her misery out on her child. If she didn't beat her with her fists, she did so with her words. In a way, that was the only act of kindness she ever bestowed upon Beret. She taught her daughter to read and write so she would be able to repeatedly write down all the insults her mother had instructed her to.

The two of them ran out of money after the death of Beret's father, so they had no choice but to live on the streets of London and beg for coins. They were barely able to keep from starving, and even if they were lucky enough to finish a day with full stomachs, some days would be harder than others.

Beret's stomach twisted as she remembered one particularly hard day about a year earlier. She had just turned sixteen. Sigrid felt that they were not getting enough money, so without Beret's knowledge, she arranged for a man to pay her a hefty sum…but it came at a large price. Beret didn't realize what had happened until the man had dragged her to a dark alley and roughly shoved her facedown into the dirt. All the poor girl could do was wait until it was over.

She never forgave her mother for allowing that beast to do that to her. Sigrid never showed an ounce of remorse for it, and even blamed Beret for it.

"If it wasn't for you, that wouldn't have been necessary," she had told her child. "You're nothing but a waste of space and breath."

Beret couldn't help but smile at the irony.

_Well, Mother, if I was the waste, why am I still here while you are gone?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Please…you have to give me some room."

Dr. Victor Frankenstein put the scalpel down on his table next to Brona's corpse. After taking a moment to compose himself, he looked up at Caliban, his "firstborn" creation.

"Your constant staring and looking over my shoulder will not make me work any faster. In fact, it will only serve to slow me down."

Caliban glanced away before responding.

"Why must it take so long?"

Victor had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He stepped back for a moment and grabbed a damp rag, wiping the grime from his fingers.

"Not to sound cross, but constructing someone from a corpse and bringing it to life isn't easy, and it isn't a quick process either. If one thing goes wrong with her, everything could be shot to hell."

Though Caliban knew his creator had a good point, he couldn't bear the thought of having to wait longer than he already had. The doctor read his expression and slowly approached him.

"I made you a promise," he said sincerely, reaching up to place a hand on Caliban's shoulder, "and I intend to keep it. You just have to be patient. Why don't you read some of your books to pass the time?"

"I have read them all ten times through," the creature replied, stepping away in frustration. "And no amount of reading can prepare me for what I've been denied for so long. Even when the time comes, how will I know what to do? It's as if I need to learn a new language for her."

Victor took in what Caliban was saying. An idea suddenly struck him. While it was an immoral thought, it would only be temporary. He went to the side of the room and took his coat, grabbing Caliban's in the process.

"What are you doing?" the creature asked.

"Come with me," the doctor said, handing his creation his black coat. "I think I know what to do about this."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The numbness still hadn't left Beret's body, even after a few hours had passed. She had often thought about what her life would be like without her mother to torment her. It was an awful thing to consider, but she simply couldn't help it. However, now that the time had finally come, she found herself unsure.

What should she do now? She didn't have any sort of schooling or proper reputation, so obtaining a regular job was out of the question. The only dress she owned was dirty and nearly in pieces. Who would hire someone like her?

But she had no money. She had to get more, or she would starve to death. Deep down, Beret knew the path she would have to travel down, but she didn't want to think about it. The very idea of being used by countless men and then thrown away like an old handkerchief disgusted her. What happened to her once before was bad enough, but the thought of going through it over and over again every day was too much to bear. But she didn't see any other way.

_Why did it have to be like this?_

The tears escaped Beret's eyes before she could stop them.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Why are we out here?" Caliban asked.

"Look around," Victor replied, gesturing to the slightly run-down streets of London. "There are women everywhere. I want you to pick one."

"What for?"

"Think of it as a temporary distraction. Pick a woman, and I will bring her to you. Busy yourself with her until I finish your companion." He looked at the creature and saw the reluctance in his face. "Go on. It can be any woman you want, but make sure she a commoner. She'll unlikely be missed by anyone."

"Frankenstein, I…I don't know about this."

"There's an old saying: practice makes perfect. By doing this, you can prepare yourself for when your bride is ready. So go ahead. Pick one."

Caliban tentatively looked out and observed everyone. There were plenty of pretty women all around the streets, but none of them were all that special to him. Nothing about them stood out, and that simply wouldn't do.

Then, suddenly, he saw her.

On the other side of the street, there was a young woman leaning against the wall. She didn't look to be any older than twenty. Her dress was worn, and her long black hair was frizzy and snarled. Despite all this, the thing that captured Caliban's attention was the streams of tears running down her face. Caliban glanced down, feeling a tugging sensation in his gut. He found himself wanting to wipe away her tears, to make her smile. After a few seconds, he looked back at her and pointed a pale finger in her direction.

"Her."

Victor followed his creation's gaze and saw the weeping peasant girl near the wall.

"Very well," he said, nodding at Caliban. "I'll fetch her tonight."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Before too long, it was dark. Beret clutched the torn fragments of her dress in an effort to keep herself warm. A small part of her wished one of the people walking by would take pity on her, but no such luck. She seemed to be out of that luxury. Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall.

_I won't waste any more tears on her._

"Good evening, miss."

Beret glanced up. A young man, perhaps a few years older than her, was looking down at her from where she was seated on the walkway. He looked to be well off, and he was certainly much cleaner than she was.

"Evening, sir," she answered.

The man disappeared down the street. A strong gust of cold wind nearly knocked the girl over, and she turned her back to the direction it was coming from. Her insides were warmed from the stranger's act of kindness, but at the same time, the weather outweighed the warmth.

All of a sudden, everything went black.

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_**Let me know what you think so far.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi again. Read on and enjoy.**_

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She felt warm. Her eyes slowly started to open, revealing darkness with a bit of light.

_I've never felt so comfortable. This is…this is not right!_

Beret immediately sat up, waiting a few moments for her eyes to adjust to everything before standing. She was lying on a bed in a very small room with no windows and a musty smell. It was dark, with the exception of a few oil lamps on the walls. There was also a chamber pot in one corner. Once she saw the door, she ran over, took the handle, and tried to open it, only to find it locked. With every passing second, Beret became more and more afraid.

_Someone must have kidnapped me!_

Stepping away from the door, she sat back onto her bed and grasped the sheets in an attempt to keep herself from panicking. After a few minutes, she noticed a wooden table in front of her. Upon it, there was a basin with water and a rag. There was also a small blanket, a glass of water, a plate of food, a sleeping shift, and a note. Curious, Beret took the note first. She walked over to the nearest lamp to read it.

_"Please wash yourself, eat, and rest. There is nothing to be afraid of."_

It wasn't signed. Despite the reassurances written on the parchment, Beret was even more worried. Who was this person, and what did they want with her? She pushed her fears aside for the moment and carefully took off her tattered dress. As she washed herself, she couldn't help but relish the feeling of the water against her skin. It had been such a long time since she'd felt so clean. After drying off with the blanket and putting on the shift, Beret helped herself to the food and water provided for her. It wasn't anything luxurious, but it tasted so wonderful. No meal she had ever eaten before was as good as this one.

Once she was satisfied, she got back into bed and pulled the covers over her. The soft sleeves and skirt of the shift felt nice enough, but there were no words for what the bed was like. Though it was softer than any other place she'd slept, Beret had a hard time falling asleep. She was being provided with comforts she'd dreamed of her whole life, but at the same time, she was trapped in an unfamiliar place with currently no way of getting out.

Even with all of these concerns, the girl was eventually able to drift off.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Beret wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep for after getting up, but she guessed that it had been at least a few hours. Upon sitting up, she saw that she was still in the strange room. A small part of her wondered if it was a dream, but she was proven wrong.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound. Her eyes went to the door, and she noticed something sliding into the room from under it. Beret took a few breaths before standing up and walking over. It was another note. She took it to the lamp and read her captor's words.

_"I will come in shortly, but do not look at me. Keep your eyes closed or turn away. Please do not disobey this."_

Confused, Beret took the note and sat down on the bed, staring at the paper. None of this made any sense at all. This person had kidnapped her, and on top of that, they were giving her silly little notes and expected her to not even look at them? It was ridiculous, but at the same time, it was frightening.

Beret was broken out of her thoughts when she heard the door handle shaking. She immediately turned her back to it, being too nervous to go against the note's orders. After a few moments, the door opened and closed with a shaky thud. A pair of heavy footsteps made their way into the room, stopping at the foot of the bed. Beret tried to control her breathing as to not betray her fear. After a few tense seconds, a man's voice broke the silence.

"What is your name?"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Caliban felt faint. The girl was beautiful enough from afar, but at this close of a distance, she was angelic.

"B-Beret."

Her name was unfamiliar, but Caliban liked it. He smiled to himself slightly and looked at her again. The girl's voice had been very heavy with fright when she answered him. He didn't want her to be upset, so he prepared his words before speaking.

"Beret, I know you're distressed, but you needn't be. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Where am I? Why have you taken me here?"

"It would be best if you didn't ask any questions."

There was a brief moment of quiet.

"Not ask any…? How do you expect me to not wonder—"

"Be _silent,_" Caliban snapped, frustrated with her resistance.

Beret immediately obeyed, but Caliban could hear her sniffling, trying to hold back her tears. His heart suddenly started to ache with regret.

"I…I'm sorry," he said softly, reaching a hand out momentarily before lowering it. "Please forgive me."

After a little while, Beret quieted down. Caliban took a few hesitant steps towards her, still taking in her beauty.

"I want you to be at peace. I didn't mean to be cross, but…you're better off not knowing certain things."

When the girl didn't answer, the creature figured that she understood. He looked down at his feet for a little while before gathering the courage to speak again.

"Stand up and face me, with your eyes closed. I wish to see you."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Beret's heart pounded even faster at this request. She found it odd that this man wanted to see her, but didn't want her to see him. Still, he seemed to have a temper, and she didn't want to trifle with him. Keeping her eyes shut, Beret carefully stood up and turned to face the source of the voice. She wrapped her arms around herself as the footsteps resumed and stopped directly in front of her.

Though Beret couldn't see him, she could feel her captor looming over her. He was breathing somewhat erratically, as if trying to keep himself calm.

_He's the one holding me prisoner, so why is he so nervous?_

The girl tensed as she felt two large hands gently grasp her forearms and move them to her sides. They traveled up her clothed arms until they reached her shoulders. When the fingers started slowly rubbing at her joints, Beret couldn't help but feel soothed. If this person wanted to harm her, he probably would have done so at this point.

A gasp escaped Beret as one hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek. The skin of the man's palm was very cold, almost as cold as ice. She tried to back away, but the hand still on her shoulder tightened slightly, keeping her still.

"No, it's all right," the man whispered, gently rubbing his thumb against the girl's lips. "It's all right."

Beret's insides suddenly felt cold. She could hear her captor's intentions in the tone of his voice, and she didn't like it one bit. While this person's touches were tender, there was no way of knowing whether or not they would stay that way. The attacker from a year earlier was polite and courteous at first, but once he pulled her down that pathway, it was as if he had morphed into a monster.

Before Beret could fall into a panic, the man suddenly released her and stepped back.

"I'll bring your supper soon," he said, backing up until he was out the door.

Once she heard it close and lock, Beret fell to her knees and covered her mouth with her hands, trying in vain to stop herself from crying. She was grateful the man hadn't done anything to her, but she couldn't tell if he might try to do so at a later time.

All she could think to do was sit there and weep, stuck in a state of uncertainty.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi again. Read on and enjoy.**_

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Beret was able to calm herself down after a few hours. The quiet helped to soothe her mind, and she was very happy when her body finally stopped shaking. But still, even when she wasn't panicking anymore, a sharp pang of worry continued to pulsate in her gut. A strange man whom she wasn't even allowed to look at was holding her captive, and she wasn't sure she would leave this place alive.

The footsteps approaching the outside of the door distracted the girl from her brainstorming, and she quickly turned her back as the door opened. Once it closed, the footsteps stopped not too far behind where she was seated.

"Do you enjoy soup?"

Beret was momentarily dazed by the man's voice, but made herself answer.

"Yes."

"Good. Hold out your hands, but shut your eyes."

Obeying his orders, Beret waited until she could feel the warm bowl before opening her eyes. Her insides growled as she inhaled the scent, and she picked up the spoon. The taste was heavenly. She was about to eat another spoonful when her captor spoke again.

"Why were you weeping?"

She paused, trying to process this.

"Pardon?"

"You wept on the streets yesterday. Why was that?"

This nearly made Beret drop the soup onto her lap. How on earth did this man know about that? Had he been spying on her? If so, for how long? Despite feeling as if she might vomit, she suppressed her thoughts and replied quietly.

"My mother died two days ago, and I've been grieving."

There was a pause.

"I'm sorry," the man said, his voice laced with sympathy. "No one should be left alone like that."

Beret tried to take comfort in his statement, but before she could continue eating, the man spoke once more.

"Especially not a beautiful young woman like you."

Finding no way to answer this, Beret forced herself to finish the soup. Once she was done, she closed her eyes and allowed her captor to take the bowl. She heard him place it on the table, and her heart sunk as she realized he didn't plan on leaving yet.

"There isn't any need for you to be apprehensive around me, Beret. I don't intend to cause you any harm."

As much as Beret wanted to believe him, she was starting to understand what he planned on doing with her. Though this mysterious fellow might not see it as harming her, it was the last thing she wanted to do. Beret wished she could find out more, but remembered his demand for her to not ask questions.

The man must have sensed her desire.

"You wish to speak?" The girl nodded. "You may."

Beret took a shallow breath.

"Do you intend to release me?"

There was a very long moment of silence before she got an answer.

"Perhaps. But if I do, it won't be for some time. I'm not…finished with you."

_Oh, God…he's going to…_

This was too much for the girl to handle, and she allowed a few silent tears to escape from her eyes.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Though Beret was very quiet, Caliban could tell she was crying. This was what he was afraid would happen when he revealed his intentions. However, he pushed past his worries and took a small step forward.

"Please don't be troubled. That won't happen yet, so sleep soundly for the time being. I'll warn you beforehand, you'll have sufficient time to prepare."

Beret continued to weep, and Caliban nearly succumbed to the desire to take her into his arms and comfort her. He paused for a moment before resuming in a soft voice.

"I will be as gentle as I can."

The girl seemed to calm down a little bit, which pleased the creature greatly. Suddenly remembering, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hairbrush. He walked forward until he was almost directly next to Beret.

"I have a brush," he said in a near whisper. "May I fix your hair?"

Beret had to stop herself from wincing. She truly wanted the snarls out of her hair, but she was far too frightened to ask permission to do it herself. After a moment, she nodded. Caliban sat down behind Beret and carefully took a thick lock of her hair into his free hand. He began running the brush through it, pausing to gently work through a knot. As he proceeded to the next lock, he allowed his fingers to softly run through the ebony stream. After a couple seconds, he got ahold of himself and continued with the brush.

This went on for about five minutes. Once he was done, Caliban looked at his guest's hair and smiled to himself. He didn't have a problem with it before, but seeing it like this made him feel warm inside. After putting the brush back into his pocket, he spoke.

"I'll be leaving you for the night. Will you require anything?"

"No," the girl answered quietly.

Nodding as if Beret could see him, Caliban sat there for a moment. Then, he impulsively reached forward and took her small hand into his. She turned away, remembering what she was told to do.

Caliban spent several long moments simply holding Beret's hand, rubbing his thumb over her skin. He closed his eyes, never wanting to forget the feeling. After a while, he made himself let go.

"Goodnight," he said before getting up, retrieving the empty soup bowl, and walking out, making sure to lock the door behind him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Beret didn't receive any lengthy visits from the man the next day. All he did was bring her meals, and he didn't say much while she was eating. This was unusual compared to his behavior the previous day. Though Beret didn't mind being left alone, she couldn't help but feel unnerved by this change. She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

While she was still afraid, Beret found herself wondering about her captor. Why did he insist on not letting her see him? Perhaps he was a well-known figure and didn't want her to expose the situation to the public. Maybe he was a highly self-absorbed person who felt as if she was not worthy of looking at him. None of these possibilities made much sense to Beret, and her curiousity grew as a result.

Once she finished her supper, the man took the plate from her and stepped back a bit.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No."

"Very well. Goodnight."

Beret let out a quiet breath of relief as she heard the footsteps moving towards the door. But they suddenly stopped.

"Beret, I…I will…have need of you tomorrow night."

The girl didn't display any external reaction, but inside, she felt very cold. Once the man was gone, she wrapped her arms around herself and allowed her sobs to break free. She was having enough trouble wrapping her brain around the events of the past two days, but this was too much to deal with. This person sounded so tender, yet all he wanted was to sleep with her and then discard her.

_Is that all I am in this world? Just a thing, not worthy of speaking or even looking at anyone?_

Pretty soon, Beret was too tired to cry anymore. She simply laid down and pulled the covers over herself, waiting to fall asleep.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello again. A word of warning: this chapter contains violence and attempted rape; if that kind of thing is triggering to you, click the "back" arrow now.**_

_**To the rest of you, read on and enjoy.**_

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The majority of the next day went by a lot faster than Beret thought it would. She had hoped it would drag, but her worries only accentuated the time ticking by. It was morning when she woke up, and in seemingly no time at all, it became the early afternoon. As much as she wanted to curse God for not slowing down time or stopping it altogether, she knew it wouldn't do any good. The night would come sooner or later.

All the girl could do was sit on her bed with a blank expression. Everything was happening so quickly, far too quickly for her to figure anything out. She felt as if she were going crazy. That would surely be better than what awaited her. But while she felt afraid for various reasons, she also felt angry. How dare this man presume her to be a common whore? That was probably why he made her look away. He likely didn't want a lowlife like her to take in his presence.

Beret suddenly felt rebellious. Though the prospect was dangerous, she found herself wanting to break this man's rules, to show him that she wasn't something to be controlled and ordered around. But she suppressed the thought as quickly as it came to her. While she did want out of her predicament, her fear got the best of her.

After a while, the nervous young woman heard the man at the door. She turned her back just in time.

"I brought you some bread."

As she listened to the approaching footsteps, time seemed to sit still. Her body felt stuck, as if she was getting ready to run while trying to keep from moving. The different possibilities of why the man was hiding from her nagged at her mind in sharp pokes. At the same time, her desire to rebel grew even stronger. All of a sudden, she felt herself slacken. Before she could stop her movements, Beret swiftly stood and turned to look at her captor.

Nothing on the face of the planet could have prepared her for what she saw.

The man barely looked like a man at all. He was almost a foot taller than her, and his skin had the paleness of a corpse, with the exception of his lips, which were as black as his shirt and pants. By the looks of him, he was at least thirty years old, probably more, but even that was hard to tell. His long dark hair hid much of his facial features, but Beret got a good glimpse of the horrid scars on one side of his head.

All of this was bad enough, but the pair of hellishly yellow eyes angrily staring down at her completely shattered any bravery she had left.

She let out a blood-curdling scream and quickly backed away from him, climbing over the bed to the other side of the miniscule room. The creature put the bread on the table before turning back to her with a dangerous look on his face.

"What are you?" Beret shrieked, backing into the wall. "_What are you?_"

Her hideous captor shot her a look of pure fury before storming at her. She quickly ran back over the bed and tried to run to the door, but the creature was much faster than she thought. He wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and lifted her into the air, trying to restrain her flailing arms with his free hand.

"You looked at me," he growled. "I told you not to look at me!"

"Stop it!" Beret cried, kicking at him with all her might. "Let me go!"

The creature was angry enough already, but the girl's persistent kicking pushed him over the edge. In his fury, he threw her roughly to the ground.

Beret felt her head collide with the floor, but before she could cry out in pain, everything went dark.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

When the girl didn't move, Caliban felt the anger leave his body, only to be replaced with a heavy feeling of guilt and regret. Moving quickly, he leaned down, scooped her into his arms, and laid her down on the bed. He sat down beside her and adjusted her head so it was resting on the pillow. When he saw the red bump forming by her temple, his control immediately broke down.

He bent over and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her smooth hair. It had been a while since Caliban last shed tears, as he felt they didn't do anything to improve the matter over which the tears were being shed. However, in this instance, it couldn't be helped. While he was furious at Beret's disobedience, he was also heartbroken that she was so repulsed by him. It affected him much more than he thought it would. He had prayed for the girl to eventually go on her way without ever having seen him, without looking at him and retreating in disgust and fear. After all, that was why he wanted Victor to create a companion for him in the first place.

_Yes…your bride is almost ready for you. This girl is just a temporary activity. She's yours to do with as you please._

Caliban's tears slowed to a halt as he allowed his ire to slowly seep back into him. He wanted to be tender with the girl at first, but now, he had a strong desire to hurt her. It was time for Beret to pay the price on the behalf of all mankind.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

She felt a cold wet cloth resting against her forehead as she opened her eyes. It took a little while for her to adjust to everything, but once she was able to look around, the horrible memories came rushing back. A small part of Beret hoped it was all an illusion, but a voice from beside her instantly destroyed that hope.

"You've woken…from a dream to a nightmare."

The girl looked up at the creature and immediately pushed herself backwards off the bed. The cloth fell to the floor as she gained her footing and backed towards the wall. She tried to keep an eye on him, but couldn't stop herself from looking away. Her captor's face was far too frightening to gaze upon.

This didn't sit well with the creature. He walked around the bed and slowly approached the terrified young woman.

"Why so timid, Beret?" he asked in a chillingly gentle voice. "You seemed curious enough only hours ago."

After glancing at a wall lamp posted not far from where the girl stood, the creature started to close in. In a panicked bid to escape, Beret tried to dash past him towards the door. But he grabbed her upper arms and lifted her with ease, pinning her against the wall so her face was level with his.

"Look at me," he ordered, tightening his grip on her.

"_No!_"

Beret looked away, sobbing as she dangled helplessly in the creature's grasp. She let out a sigh of relief as he lowered her back onto her feet, only to snatch both her wrists in one hand and hold them above her head. He used his free hand to roughly seize her jaw and jerk her face towards his.

"Surely there is enough light for you to see."

The girl kept her eyes tightly shut, wanting nothing more than to disappear. She tried to squirm away, but the creature moved closer, using his body to hold hers still. He slowly released her wrists and moved his hand to the back of her head.

"Go on," he hissed, leaning down so his face was an inch or two from hers, "since you wanted to see me so badly."

Beret tried desperately not to give in, but she was nearing her breaking point. A cry of pain escaped her lips as her captor grabbed a handful of her hair at the roots and began to squeeze. She tried to push his hands away, but it was no use.

"Look at me!" the creature snarled.

Once a few more seconds had passed, the girl finally obeyed. She took in his cadaver-like appearance and shuddered. It was hard to ignore the feeling of his cold hands on her. She wondered how he could be so cold, and yet his blazing eyes could give off such a heated passion. The eyes themselves were too much to bear, so Beret closed hers once more. However, the moment she did, the creature's grip tightened.

"I never gave you leave to stop," he snapped.

She made herself open her eyes and stare into her captor's. The inhuman color of the fiery orbs glaring into hers shook her to the very core of her being. She allowed herself to weep, but made sure to keep her eyes on him. This seemed to satisfy the creature enough for him to loosen his hold a little bit.

"Not what you thought I was, am I?" he asked, the contempt evident in his voice. "Were you expecting a handsome prince, come to whisk you away to his castle?"

Beret blinked back her tears, trying to ignore the sting of his words.

"You should know better than that. Those are just fairy tales, after all. They're not real life."

He narrowed his eyes and moved closer to the girl until his dark lips were hovering over hers.

"Real life is a tall tale of misery."

Out of the blue, the creature's hands went to the front of Beret's shift and ripped it open. She gasped, trying to cover her intimate parts with her hands. However, her assailant yanked the ruined shift away, grabbed her arms, and dragged her to the bed, swiftly pushing her onto the mattress.

"No! Stop, _please!_"

She tried to get up, but the creature forced her onto her back and pinned her down. He ran a cold hand from the girl's stomach up to the valley of her chest. As he bent down to press his lips to her collarbone, his fingers slid down to graze her thigh.

"Stop it," Beret begged, crying out in disgust when she felt his icy tongue dart out to lick her neck. "Get _away!_"

"Worry not," the creature barked, moving back up to face her. "I won't make you look at me any longer."

He sat up and rolled the girl over onto her belly. Beret made one final attempt to escape, but judging from this beast's obscene strength and the memories of her first attack that were rushing back to her, there was no way out of it.

She didn't bother to restrain her sobs, but she made her body relax. All she had to do was wait, and it would be over.

But the creature had paused.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Overcome by a mix of wrath and lust, Caliban had every intention of taking Beret, whether she was willing or not. But in an instant, all of those pulsating feelings simply went away.

He couldn't take his eyes away from the giant scar on Beret's back. It wasn't a surgical suture like the ones on his own body. His scars were fairly thin, but the one he was looking at was blotchy, jagged, and went all the way across the girl's back. It couldn't have been from surgery, nor from a blade of any kind.

_Perhaps it is a burn…_

Moving very carefully, Caliban reached a hand towards the scar, running two fingertips across the bumpy skin. Beret immediately started to squirm beneath him, so he straddled the backs of her legs and put one hand on her shoulder.

"Shhh," he whispered, trying to calm her. "Shhh, be still."

While the girl did settle down after a while, she continued to cry. Caliban stared at her, his insides wracked with remorse. He considered asking how she got such an awful wound, but thought better of it.

_I'll ask when she is less distraught._

He tried to think of something to do for her, and after a moment, he reached over and pulled the covers over both of them. Beret attempted to leave the bed, but Caliban quickly grabbed her and pulled her to him, enveloping her into his arms from behind.

"Let go, _please_…" she whispered, struggling weakly.

"I'm sorry," the creature spoke quietly into her ear. "I'm sorry. Go to sleep, I won't harm you."

Caliban rested his head against Beret's as she drifted off.

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	5. Chapter 5

_**Hi again! This chapter might be a bit triggering (memories of past abuse and sexual assault), so proceed with caution.**_

_**Read on and enjoy.**_

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As Beret slowly started to wake up, she felt a pair of arms around her. Her back was pressed against something firm yet soft. She felt very secure, and though the embrace was a bit cold, her insides began to warm up. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep, but for some reason, there was a little pang of dread in her mind. After a moment of thinking, it all came rushing back.

Her captor was a revolting fiend. He had attacked her, even knocked her out. And at the end of the night, he…well, he didn't, but he came dangerously close to doing so. And those terrible eyes haunted her so much. It was like something out of a frightening fairy tale. Beret shuddered, remembering his words.

"_Real life is a tall tale of misery._"

Afraid of what she would see, the girl looked over her shoulder. The creature was staring back at her with a concerned expression. Until that point, Beret had been unaware of her state of undress. Once she realized it, she instantly started to thrash, frantically trying to get away. But Caliban held onto her tightly.

"Be calm," he said softly. "It's all right."

He moved one hand to her head and began to lightly stroke it, threading his fingers through her hair. After a couple of minutes, Beret settled down. She had started to quietly weep, overcome by fear.

"I'm sorry, Beret." The creature's voice had dropped close to a whisper at this point. "I shouldn't have lost my temper yesterday."

The girl didn't respond. She was so in shock that she could barely think of anything to say. It didn't seem to bother Caliban, though. He continued to hold her like this for a few more minutes before carefully removing his arms and grasping her shoulders.

"Move onto your belly for a moment."

Though confused, Beret obeyed. It was when the man's hand started rubbing across her back that she realized what had his attention.

"This scar…how did you get it?"

Blood rushed to her cheeks. She didn't like thinking about how she got the scar, or about the scar in general. Still, after what happened the previous day, she was too frightened to challenge him. In fact, a small part of her thought it would be good to speak of it, since she had never done so before now. She took a shallow breath and began in a shaky voice.

"When I was a child, my…my father struck me with a piece of burning firewood."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Caliban couldn't help but cringe as the girl said those words. He had suspected the wound was the result of fire, but it never crossed his mind that she was intentionally harmed by her own flesh and blood.

"How vile," he said silently, still tracing the mutilation with a fingertip. "Your mother couldn't stop him?"

Beret could have laughed out loud at that if she weren't so drained. She closed her eyes for a moment before continuing.

"My mother stood by and watched him do it. She even started beating me herself after he died."

The creature glanced away momentarily. He felt himself becoming infuriated at the thought of such cruelty, but he suppressed those feelings and kept listening.

"She was wicked. She blamed me every day for our having to live on the streets. And once, a year ago, she…"

Beret stopped, unable to bear thinking of that horrible experience. However, Caliban's cool hand on her back had a surprisingly comforting effect. She took a few seconds to breathe and resumed talking.

"She found a man, accepted money from him to…do _that _to me."

The creature could barely hold back his rage, but he didn't think talking was the best thing for him to do.

"He threw me down, shoved my face in the dirt…it hurt so much."

Beret's tears overwhelmed her, rendering her unable to talk about it anymore. She buried her face into the pillow, not wanting her captor to see her in such a vulnerable state. But after a few seconds, the hands on her shoulders gently pulled her onto her back. Caliban reached out to rub the backs of his fingers against Beret's forehead. She was still looking away from him, but he was glad she was able to relax a bit. A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"Why did you weep for such a demonic mother?"

Beret hesitated momentarily before answering.

"It wasn't for her. I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of the life I'd have to lead to stay alive," she answered, choking back tears at the thought of it. "I knew I'd have to…sell my body, allow myself to be used and tossed away, as if I were nothing."

Hearing these things from this beautiful mortal made Caliban's insides ache. He didn't have a parent to teach him the ways of the world, and as a result, his whole life had been filled with naught but sorrow and lonliness. But he never imagined that Beret had lived with those same feelings as well…and for a much longer time than him. The two of them were more alike than he had originally thought.

The creature carefully moved over the weeping girl and cradled her face with his hands.

"You are not nothing," he breathed, gently wiping some of Beret's tears away with his thumbs. "Not to me."

She stared up at him with bashful blue eyes, unsure of how to react. However, when Caliban started to lean down towards her, she turned away from him as much as she could.

"_Wait,_" she said weakly, tired from her crying.

Caliban paused. He saw a new tear on her cheek, so he bent down and softly kissed it away. Beret tensed up for a few moments, but as the creature moved his lips to her other cheek, she gradually relaxed. After a little while, Caliban lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. Though still looked apprehensive, his compassionate gesture had helped to soothe her.

He leaned down again, and when she tried to look away once more, he tightened his hold on her face just enough to still her. The girl closed her eyes in resignation as he continued moving closer. Caliban halted for a couple seconds, looking at her face. He could feel the warmth radiating from her flesh into his hands, so he could only imagine how warm the rest of her was.

Not wanting to hesitate anymore, he pressed a gentle kiss against her lips.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Upon feeling the creature's cold lips upon hers, the frightened young woman started to struggle. It proved to be futile, as she was no match for his strength. She just lay there and held her lips shut, waiting for it to be over.

While the kiss was unrelenting, it was also caring. Beret was surprised to feel a small spark of warmth deep in her gut. She tried to ignore it, even though it was growing stronger with every passing second.

Caliban eventually pulled back to look at the girl. Her eyes were still closed, so he tried to coax them open by softly rubbing his thumbs over her eyelids. He moved both hands back to where they previously were as Beret finally opened her eyes and looked into his.

The menacing fury that had filled his eyes the preceding night was gone. Instead, there was a reflection of gentleness mixed with sorrow and pain. Beret could have sworn that she saw the smallest bit of light as well. She found herself gravitating towards this creature, but at the same time, he still terrified her.

_What's happening to me? He nearly violated me yesterday, even came close to killing me! How can he go from being so vicious to treating me with such kindness? And how can he make me feel so…safe?_

She didn't bother fighting when he kissed her again. In fact, she relaxed her own lips against his and allowed her body to slacken. This made Caliban's kiss feel much more delicate. He seemed to appreciate her lack of resistance, as he moved one hand to her shoulder and gently stroked her skin.

Beret suddenly felt her captor's tongue faintly prod at her lips. It was jolting, but he wasn't being forceful. Not feeling ready to go that far, she kept her lips sealed. Caliban broke the kiss and lifted his head to look at her. Beret opened her eyes, expecting to see anger in the creature's face. Instead, he was gazing down at her with an odd expression. It was as if he saw her as being the most precious thing in the world. After a few moments, Caliban slowly bent back down and pressed a tender kiss against the bruise that had formed on the girl's temple.

As he started to caress her cheek, she couldn't help but glance away. The things she felt were overwhelming her. While her anxiety was still highly active, she was also quite soothed and reassured. All of this was simply too much for her to even consider figuring out right away. She took a few breaths and made herself loosen up.

_I might as well enjoy the calm while it lasts._

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	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi again. There is mature content in this chapter, so beware.**_

_**Read on and enjoy!**_

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Caliban eventually left to get breakfast for Beret. While alone, the girl wrapped the covers around herself and took the opportunity to finally process all that was happening. It was quite a lot to take in at once, but nevertheless, she started sorting through everything piece by piece.

_What is…? How can I possibly…? This is too much, everything is moving so rapidly! This man, or…whatever he may be…what should I make of him? He's violent one moment, and the next, he's…_

Beret closed her eyes, resting her head against her hands.

_And what of his intentions? He's already spoken of his wish to do…that. But he doesn't seem to want to force me into it, not anymore. Otherwise, it would have happened by now._

She was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when the door opened. For a moment, she felt an impulse to turn from him.

_Right. I've seen his face, so there isn't a need._

After closing and locking the door behind him, Caliban turned to look at Beret. He had an orange in one hand and a book in the other.

"Do you like oranges?" he asked, stepping next to the bed.

Beret stared at the piece of fruit her captor was offering. Now that he was back, she felt nervous again. Still, she made herself speak up.

"Yes."

She extended a shaky palm and let the creature place the orange into it. After bringing it to her mouth, she bit into the skin until it tore. Caliban watched the girl peel it back for a few moments before speaking.

"I brought a book…Shakespeare."

Beret took a bite out of the orange and glanced at him. When she didn't respond, he continued.

"Are you familiar with him?" She shook her head. "Oh. Well…may I read some of it to you?"

Though she didn't relish the idea of having strange stories read to her at that moment, Beret didn't object. Caliban sat across from her on the bed, opened the book, and flipped through the pages for a while before stopping. Then, after taking a breath, he began.

"Over hill, over dale,  
>Thorough bush, thorough brier,<br>Over park, over pale,  
>Thorough flood, thorough fire!<br>I do wander everywhere,  
>Swifter than the moon's sphere;<br>And I serve the Fairy Queen,  
>To dew her orbs upon the green;<br>The cowslips tall her pensioners be;  
>In their gold coats spots you see;<br>Those be rubies, fairy favours;  
>In those freckles live their savours;<br>I must go seek some dewdrops here,  
>And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear."<p>

Though the mysterious man seemed entranced by the poem, Beret barely heard a word of it. She couldn't stop staring at the way his yellow eyes darted between her and the book. Though they weren't ferocious anymore, there was still something about them that that had her on edge.

_He appears human, but…perhaps there's something paranormal about him._

As he finished reading, the creature glanced at her, smiling slightly.

"Did…did you like it?"

She didn't want him to think she was ignoring him, so she nodded.

"Yes."

"It's called 'A Fairy Song,'" Caliban explained as the girl finished her orange. "It's one of my favorites. He has a very graceful way of wording his pieces."

He couldn't help but notice that Beret still seemed unsettled. His miniscule grin slowly faded, and he closed his book.

"You need not fear me, Beret," he said gently. "I won't hurt you again."

The young woman nodded, trying not to show her anxiety too much. After a few more seconds went by, her captor stood up, holding the book to his chest.

"I'll come back later."

With that, he left the room. Beret simply sat there, still unsure of how to interpret the actions of this strange creature.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Later that night, Caliban retrieved some extra blankets from Victor. After seeing the fragile state of his beautiful captive, he wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible. He tried not to trip over anything as he maneuvered his way through the dark laboratory towards the storage room that housed the girl.

Once back inside the small enclosure, he locked the door and approached Beret. She was still on the bed, but seemed to be shivering underneath the thin sheets.

"I brought you more blankets," Caliban said, surprising himself with his own nervousness. "Are you cold?"

The girl nodded, so he moved next to the bed and spread the thick blankets over her. He was deeply satisfied by the look of comfort and relief on her face. For the next several moments, Caliban stood there. He couldn't take his eyes away from Beret. She looked so delicate, so broken. His heart yearned to make her content, to set her soul aglow.

Beret started to panic when the creature pulled back the blankets and climbed in next to her. However, before she could move, his hands darted out to catch her shoulders.

"No, no, hold still."

But the girl was too far gone in her terror. She eventually managed to rise to her knees and turn around, but Caliban got onto his own knees and seized her from behind, wrapping one arm around her torso.

"Shh, it's all right," he breathed into her neck, raising his free hand to cup her forehead. "It's all right. I'm not…I'm not going to do that."

This reassurance did nothing to calm Beret, as her form was still tense in his grasp.

"I…" Caliban was suddenly shy again. "Let me do something…different from that. Let me make this night all for you."

Beret was confused at this. Her frightened tears escaped her eyes as she spoke in a shaky voice.

"What?"

The creature carefully loosened his hold on her and trailed his hand from her forehead down to her back, allowing his fingertips to ghost over the raised flesh. After a few more seconds, he bent his head down and pressed a loving kiss against the scar.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Beret couldn't hold back a small moan at the feeling of the cold lips on her back. It didn't just have to do with the warm sensation cascading through her spine. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was deeply touched by what the creature was doing. The horrid scar had always made her feel such contempt for herself. It was like a brand, declaring her a menace to the world.

But this man wasn't repulsed by it. Quite to the contrary, he was practically worshiping the disfigurement as something beautiful. Nobody had ever treated her with such immense kindness until now. She had never expected it from anyone, certainly not from a stranger with such a fluctuating temper. The shock eventually started to spread throughout her form, and she felt herself slacken.

A few seconds later, Caliban moved back up to rest his face against the girl's neck. He closed his eyes, inhaling her sweet scent. Keeping his arm firmly wrapped around her, he slowly began rubbing her belly with his free hand. Once he felt her relax, he recalled a few tidbits from a book and lowered it a bit more. Beret squirmed slightly, but it didn't last. After weaving two fingers through the soft curls, Caliban found the tiny button he had read about and gently rubbed it.

Shutting her eyes tightly, Beret gasped at the ice-cold digits. But as they stroked at her, an unfamiliar feeling began to pulse within her. It felt as though a small flame was burning in her gut, getting hotter by the second.

The faint sound of bliss that escaped the girl's mouth made Caliban's insides flare with heat. This was what he wanted ever since he first laid eyes on her. He had longed to see her cheeks free from tears, to hear her voice without it being laced with sadness and fright. After a few more minutes passed, he increased the speed of his fingers.

Beret's breathless whimpers became more urgent, and she moved a shaky hand to grip the arm around her. She didn't know why she did so, but she needed some way to root herself to reality. Her mind felt fuzzy and fogged. This sensation was so foreign to her, but at the same time, she had never felt such pleasure at any other point in her life.

Caliban trailed his index finger down, and was happily surprised to feel a few droplets of moisture at her opening. Based on his readings, this was a very good sign. He leaned his head against the girl's as he gradually slid his finger inside of her. Beret cried out at this, but not in pain. She squirmed a little bit as the creature began moving it within her. It wasn't anything like her assault from the previous year. That excuse for a man hadn't graced her with gentle touches before having his way with her. He cared nothing about her comfort, and probably enjoyed seeing her in pain.

That wasn't the case here. Her captor didn't seem to care at all about his own gratification. All that mattered to him was seeing her happy.

A thought popped into Caliban's head. He remembered reading something in a poem with strong erotic undertones. The words ran through his mind, and he thought of ways to apply them to the lovely being in his embrace. After letting a couple more moments pass, he pulled his finger out of her and hesitantly brought it to his lips. The taste floating across his tongue was hard to describe. One might say it was bitter and sugary at the same time.

Moving carefully, Caliban eased Beret onto her back, making sure the blankets were cushioning her small form. He crawled over her and tenderly folded a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Only for you," he whispered, grazing the backs of his fingers across her blushing cheek.

Beret's eyelids fluttered at the creature leaned down to press his lips against her neck. It wasn't spiteful or brutal like it was the night before. Instead, it felt as if a little bit of warmth was seeping into her with every kiss he laid upon her skin. Before long, Caliban reached her chest. He slid one hand underneath her to rest against the small of her back, while moving the other onto one of her mounds. The flesh was soft and full against his palm. Hungry for more, he rubbed his thumb against the hardening pink bud and gently took it into his mouth.

Not bothering to restrain her loud moan of surprise and euphoria, Beret grasped the corner of her pillow tightly in her fist. The man's tongue was just as cold as the rest of him. Even with the chills coursing through the girl's body, Caliban's caring ministrations were making the flame inside of her grow into a fire. For a little while, she wasn't sure if she was capable of experiencing any more pleasure.

However, Caliban soon did away with that thought when he moved down Beret's body, gently held her entrance open with two fingers, and lowered his lips onto her.

There were no words that could have described how the girl was feeling. It was as if a cloud had floated down from the sky and whisked her away into a shining oblivion. She felt so cold, but the blazing inferno in her core kept her from freezing. Out of an uncontrollable impulse, she started to thrash about. However, the creature laid his free arm across the woman's hips and held her in place.

Caliban was quite pleased to have more of the intriguing tang he had sampled not long earlier. To him, it was like a wine fermented from all the fruits of the earth. Despite all of this, Beret's ecstatic whimpers were sweeter than the ripest apple. Once he found his rhythm, he increased the speed of his actions, paying special attention to the delicate pearl above her dripping opening.

After another minute or two, Beret felt something tightening within her. It became more intense, reaching the point where she couldn't have held back her faint wailing if she wanted to. One more flick of her captor's tongue finally sent her over the edge, and her privates exploded with rapid spasms of heat. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against her pillow. It took a few seconds for her brain to come down from its high.

Once he was sure she had reoriented herself, Caliban climbed back up to her. He took her face into his hands and rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs, trying to direct her attention towards him. As soon as the girl's eyes locked onto his, he kissed her with all the passion he could muster.

Stunning both herself and the creature, Beret responded, parting her lips when she felt his tongue nudging at them. Though taken aback, Caliban instantly started to explore her mouth. He softly moaned into the kiss, overwhelmed by her taste. Beret wasn't all that put off by his flavor either. There was something earthy about him, which mixed rather pleasantly with her own aftermath still coating his tongue.

After several long moments of this, Caliban gently pulled back. He stared into Beret's eyes, loving the way her face looked. It seemed to glow as a result of their activities. The deep blue color of her eyes was accentuated by this glow. To him, she looked like an angel.

Beret suddenly felt tired. She didn't have any energy to think about what had just occurred, nor about how utterly content and unafraid it had made her. The final things she remembered before slipping away were being enveloped in Caliban's arms and his lips pressing a tender kiss to hers.

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	7. Chapter 7

_**Here we are again. Beware; herein lies mature content.**_

_**Read on and enjoy!**_

**ILoveThee-**** Thank you, I'm very glad you like it =D**

**EnglishHorrorStory-**** Thanks so much!**

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This pattern of interactions continued upon the start of the next day. Caliban visited with Beret during her first two meals, reading her more passages from several of his books while she ate. And after the girl finished, he showered her body with his affections, making her "glow" many times. As the hours ticked by, he was very pleased to see her becoming less fearful. He was afraid it would never happen, especially since she'd seen his horrid appearance.

Beret was fairly shocked with herself. Whenever the creature was with her, there was a warm sensation in her body that she couldn't explain. She only knew it wasn't a bad feeling. Her mysterious acquaintance was perfectly capable of causing her harm, and after all these days had gone by, he hadn't done so.

_He may be hideous on the surface, but underneath…I'm not so sure._

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"O mistress mine, where are you roaming?  
>O stay and hear! your true-love's coming<br>That can sing both high and low;  
>Trip no further, pretty sweeting,<br>Journey's end in lovers' meeting-  
>Every wise man's son doth know.<p>

What is love? 'tis not hereafter;  
>Present mirth hath present laughter;<br>What's to come is still unsure:  
>In delay there lies no plenty,-<br>Then come kiss me, Sweet and twenty,  
>Youth's a stuff will not endure."<p>

Beret looked down at her lap and blushed. Closing the book and glancing at his lovely guest, Caliban blinked hopefully.

"Did you enjoy it?" He smiled as the girl nodded. "That was 'Carpe Diem.' Shakespeare again."

After another moment, he reached out and took her empty bowl.

"Was that enough for your supper, or are you still hungry?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

Caliban stood and gave her a shy grin.

"I'll return in a while."

After locking the door behind him and walking into the lab, the creature was a bit surprised to see Victor standing there.

"Didn't mean to startle you," the doctor said, pulling a white sheet over the still form of his project. "I have good news."

Curious, Caliban placed the bowl and the book onto a nearby table and approached his creator.

"What is it?"

"I'm almost finished. There's only a little more work to be done with her sutures, and I need to fiddle with the wiring of the bath, but I'll be able to complete all of that after sunset. "

Reading his firstborn's look of confusion, Victor grinned slightly.

"She will awaken tonight. Your waiting is over."

An odd feeling ran though Caliban's body at this, but despite his shock, he allowed himself to smile. He was overjoyed, happier than he had ever felt, except for when he was with Beret.

_Beret…_

Once his bride was resuscitated, he couldn't be with his captive anymore. No, that wouldn't do at all. He couldn't be unfaithful to his beautiful mate. The mortal would have to be out of the picture by that time.

"Well, I'm going to rest for a few hours," Victor said, heading up to his room. "You should do the same. We've a long night ahead of us."

Caliban watched the doctor leave the large room before glancing down at the covered form of his intended. For the next few minutes, he simply stood there. All of his thoughts about the future and the possibilities it held rushed across his mind. This wondrous creature would be his salvation, his very life. She would be frightened, of course, frightened of the strange world around her. She might even fear her own reflection in the mirror. But Victor would teach her. The two of them would teach her not to be afraid of her life…nor of him.

_She may be a monster to the rest of the world, but she'll be my angel, and I hers._

An impulse suddenly overtook him, and he carefully pulled the sheet back to reveal his bride's pale face. He stared at her momentarily before leaning down and lightly pressing his lips against hers.

_Soon, my love…soon, we'll be together until the end of time._

After covering her back up, Caliban headed towards Beret's room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Impulsively wrapping her arms around herself, Beret looked up as the creature walked into the room and shut the door. He spent a few moments looking at her before moving towards one of the wall lamps. The girl's heart started to pound as he slowly lowered the lamp's flame until it flickered out. When his yellow eyes suddenly glanced at her, she couldn't make herself look away.

"Do…" she whispered. "Do you intend to…?"

"Yes."

Beret couldn't help but embrace herself even tighter. She knew no harm would come to her, but memories of what it had been like the previous year were flooding her head. Caliban easily saw the fear through her composure and walked to the next lamp, not taking his eyes off of her.

"It will not be the way your first time was," he said softly, turning off the light and approaching the final one. "I'll not be a savage to you."

Before lowering the last flame, he stopped himself, noticing the tears leaving the girl's eyes.

"Unburden yourself, Beret," he practically begged. "What frightens you so? You needn't look at me while it happens, if that is what your tears are for."

"No, I…" The scared young woman took a moment to calm herself. "I fear the pain."

"There will be no pain. If done correctly, it can be pleasurable for women."

Caliban took a quiet breath before finally putting the light out, engulfing them both in darkness. He walked towards where he knew her bed was and sat down, raising a hand to cup the girl's damp cheek.

"I promise to make it so for you."

As soon as he felt the tension seep from her body, he gently pulled back the covers, waiting patiently for her to release them. Then, he carefully put both hands on her hips and slid her downwards on the bed.

"Here," he mumbled, hovering above her and sliding his hands to her thighs. "Move your legs apart."

Beret obeyed. She closed her eyes and rested her arms at her sides as the man moved between her legs and leaned over her.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Once his eyes had adjusted to the dark, Caliban was able to see Beret looking away in apprehension. He suddenly felt very small, as if he were a child in an adult body. Then again, that's exactly what he was. While he was highly intelligent and able-bodied, he was still naïve in many ways.

_So is this girl…_

He snaked an arm underneath her shoulders, using it to support his weight. After resting his free hand on the girl's hip for a few seconds, he moved it to her cheek. The next several moments had an almost cold feeling to them, but at the same time, there was warmth unlike anything else. Caliban grazed his thumb over her lips, closing his own eyes for a little while. Beret didn't know what to make of it, but Caliban knew this was a goodbye.

Tired of waiting, he pulled her tightly against him and captured her lips in a fiery kiss. The girl closed her eyes, keeping perfectly still while adjusting to the closeness of their bodies. After a few moments had passed, she relaxed, opening her mouth to her captor's eager tongue. Caliban moved his hand to the back of her head and angled it upwards, allowing him to deepen the kiss even further. Beret gradually became more comfortable, even going so far as to lift one hand and lightly rest it on his clothed shoulder.

Caliban eventually moved to kiss her neck, and she whimpered breathlessly at the softness of his lips. A thought suddenly entered her mind. She rubbed her fingers against his shoulder for a few moments before trailing them to the front of his shirt. However, before she could undo the first button, Caliban quickly snatched her hand.

"Don't."

Beret couldn't help but wince at the tone of his voice. It took a couple of seconds for her to gather enough courage to speak.

"But I—"

The creature tightened his hold on her hand a little bit, silencing her.

"_Don't_," he repeated sharply.

The girl started to feel afraid again, but Caliban immediately remedied the situation by loosening his grip and bringing her hand to his lips. A piece of Beret's nervousness disappeared with every healing kiss pressed against her skin. She took a few breaths and allowed the tension to leave her body.

_It's all right. You know he won't hurt you…not again._

After carefully maneuvering her arm back down to her side, Caliban kissed her again, cupping her face with both hands. He slid one of them down the girl's body until it reached her center. Surprisingly, she was already quite moist. The creature had to hold back a prideful smile at this, but it was difficult to do so.

_She enjoys my touch. I didn't think it was possible…_

He leaned down to claim her mouth with his as he slipped his finger into her. Beret moaned against his lips, overcome with euphoria. At first, she had been so afraid of him doing what that horrid man had done to her all that time ago. She was sure it would involve the same agony, callousness, and utter brutality as it had before, but now, she thought differently. Her captor's appearance may have matched her attacker's evil act, but his actions and words certainly did not. She had never known such kindness and tenderness from anyone else but him.

A couple minutes later, Caliban carefully withdrew his finger, prompting a disappointed cry to escape the girl. But he moved his newly freed hand to her bottom and pulled her to him. The young woman impulsively gasped when the creature's clothed bulge rubbed against her core. He placed a faint kiss on her cheek before resting his forehead against hers.

"I…I need you," he whispered.

Beret allowed a few seconds to pass. Then, she gently kissed his lips, silently giving him permission. Caliban immediately returned the kiss as he moved his hand away from the girl's backside and started to open his pants. When she felt him at her entrance a few seconds later, she became a bit nervous. However, as he slowly pushed himself into her, Caliban peppered her cheeks and jaw with tiny comforting kisses.

Once they were finally joined, it was as if they had been thrown into an entirely different world. Instead of the pain she was expecting, Beret felt rather filled. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it certainly could have been worse. Caliban was remaining perfectly still. He didn't think it would feel nearly this wonderful, but now that he was proven wrong, he was afraid he would finish too quickly.

They both stayed that way for about a minute. Once the creature felt in control of himself, he moved his hand to the back of Beret's thigh, pulling her against him as he began to thrust within her. Beret no longer bothered to restrain her whimpers of ecstasy. Taking a cue from the man, she angled her hips towards him a bit more and wrapped her legs around his waist. Caliban quickly tightened his arm around the girl's shoulders, moving his other hand up to her cheek and pulling her in for another kiss.

After a few minutes, Beret felt herself reaching completion. Caliban placed his fingers over the girl's occupied opening and gently rubbed his thumb against her tiny bundle of nerves. This was the point of no return for both of them. The creature could no longer hold himself back as he felt the girl's inner muscles pulsate around him. He buried his face into her hair as he climaxed, shifting his hand until it rested above her thundering heartbeat.

Beret leaned her head back, trying to recover from the tidal wave of passion. Mere days beforehand, she would have been repulsed by her captor being this close to her, to say nothing about them being intimate. But now, she felt incredibly protected and warm. Not really taking any time to think about it, she slowly raised her hands and rested them on Caliban's back.

They stayed like that for a long time. Eventually, Caliban sat up, carefully withdrew from the girl, and rearranged himself. Once done with that, he quickly lied back down next to Beret and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. She didn't resist at all. In fact, she had grown to enjoy the feeling of his embraces.

After several cloudy minutes had passed, she had a thought. Her curiousity got the best of her, and she didn't even think to ask before speaking.

"You never told me your name."

It was silent for a few moments. Beret started to wonder if she had made a dire mistake. However, that fear dissipated upon receiving an answer.

"Caliban."

She felt an unexpected flare of heat within her. It wasn't the strangeness of his name that surprised her as much as it was that he answered her at all. Soon, any worries remaining within Beret went away as her mysterious captor cupped her face with one hand and kissed her forehead. Overcome with an intense feeling of relaxation, the girl soon fell asleep.

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	8. Chapter 8

_**Hello again. Read on and enjoy!**_

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Once Beret had been asleep for a few hours, Caliban carefully untangled his limbs from hers and stood. He made sure to pull the covers over the sleeping girl before leaving the room. It was unusually cold that night, so the creature swiftly put on his trench coat while making his way to where his creator stood.

"It won't be long now," Victor muttered, pulling the sheet all the way off of Brona's lifeless body. "We'll wait for the storm to get to a head."

The doctor sprinted towards the nearby water-filled tub and checked the wiring. Victor knew water was one of the best conductors of electricity, so submerging the corpse in water provided the greatest chance for reanimation. As soon as he felt sure everything was ready, he made his way back to his project and glanced at Caliban.

"Here, help me lift her."

The creature immediately obeyed. Not wasting a moment, the two men carried the woman to the tub and gently placed her into the water. Caliban took one last look at his mate's face before stepping away.

"All right." Victor walked over to his panel of levers and switches. "Stand back, it might be dangerous."

Caliban followed his creator's instructions, backing up until he was hidden in the shadows. A crash of thunder suddenly rumbled through the sky, making both men glance up in surprise. Victor gathered himself and gripped the handles of the levers. Finally, once he felt the proper moment arrive, he yanked them down. There was no visible activity, but he knew the electrical currents were doing their work. It was only a matter of time. After about a minute, he pushed the levers back into their original places. Everything seemed to sit still as the doctor and his creation both stared at the tub.

The trembling fingers rising from the water immediately shattered the uncertainty. For a moment, Victor wasn't sure if he was actually seeing it, or if all of it was just an illusion. However, he was reassured when the formerly dead woman suddenly sat up, water running down her form.

Unable to hold back a gasp, Caliban rushed forward. But his maker raised a hand, stopping him in his tracks. Victor swiftly lit his oil lamp, walked over to the tub, and gently took the shaking hand of his newborn creation.

The woman stared at him with widened eyes. There was no sense of recognition in them, only a childlike curiousity. He had to take a few breaths before speaking.

"Can you hear me?"

She nodded after a few seconds. Victor couldn't help but wince at this.

_Proteus was like this as well…_

He brushed the thought away and placed the lamp down, reaching out to carefully grasp the woman's upper arms.

"Here, let me help you up."

She pushed up, making it easier for him to lift her out of the tub. After a few awkward moments, she was standing in front of Victor with shaky legs. The doctor walked away for a second and returned with a blanket.

"You must be cold," he muttered, bundling the woman up like a mother would do for an infant.

Caliban watched all of this from afar. Victor was mostly a blur to him, for all he could see was his mate. She was beautiful, more beautiful than he imagined. While her skin didn't have the vibrancy it surely had before her "death," it was still perfect to him. In fact, everything about her was perfect. Her chestnut hair, her full lips, her eyes…

_She has the eyes of a celestial maiden, rather than my own monstrous ones._

Suddenly remembering his other creation waiting in the darkness, Victor took the woman's shoulders and led her to a nearby chair.

"Wait here," he said while helping her sit. "I'll be back in a moment."

The doctor briskly walked towards Caliban and stopped about a foot in front of him.

"I think you should wait to meet her." Before his firstborn could protest, Victor continued. "Her mind is in a highly fragile state. This is all very new to her, so any extreme visual stimuli could be harmful to her development. Surely you can understand."

While he was able to comprehend Victor's point, the impatient creature didn't like the idea of having to wait longer. But his creator's hand on his shoulder reassured him a bit.

"It won't be for long, just a few hours. Wait until after sunrise. I will have had time to teach her some of the basics, so she'll have a better grip on things by then."

After considering this for a while, Caliban nodded. Victor turned to approach the woman, but was stopped by a firm hold on his wrist.

"The woman…in there," he said shakily, pointing to the storage room with his free hand, "she'll have to leave. But I don't wish to upset her."

"I understand."

Victor wandered around the lab for a few moments. He returned to his creation with a small purse in one hand and a bottle in the other.

"Use this ether to sedate her, and then take her back to where we found her. You can leave this money with her as well."

Nodding, Caliban reached a hand out and took the two items. But before his creator could wander off again, he grabbed his arm once more.

"Victor…" He allowed his face to relax, looking at the doctor with genuine gratitude. "Thank you."

Victor took his firstborn's hand into his and squeezed it for a moment. Then, he released it and approached his newborn "child." Caliban wandered over to the shelf where he had been storing Beret's old dress, snatching it up and returning to his captive's room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Beret was still asleep, which Caliban thought was probably for the best. He placed the items onto the bed and quietly lit one of the lanterns. Once he could see properly, he approached Beret and picked up the bottle of ether, carefully removing the cap. He moved closer to her, and once they were only an inch or two apart, he gently covered her mouth and placed the opened bottle directly underneath her nose.

The girl stirred for a few seconds, but the ether was surprisingly effective. Her whole form slackened, but Caliban waited until she had inhaled several more times before pulling the bottle back and putting the cap on. He took the dress and began to tug it back over Beret's head. After getting her arms through the sleeves and yanking the skirt down the rest of the way, the creature slipped the purse into his coat pocket, wrapped the girl in one of the blankets, and scooped her up into his arms.

_Worry not, Beret. You'll be taken care of._

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The air was cold and sharp, but it didn't bother Caliban. Still, he pulled Beret closer to him, wanting to shield her from it. He ducked in and out of the alleyways until he found an unoccupied one not far from where he saw her for the first time. After glancing around for a moment, he spotted a large crate and walked towards it. Moving very carefully, he laid Beret down against the crate, making sure she was in a comfortable position. He then took out the purse and tucked it down the front of the girl's dress, not wanting a passerby to see it and take it.

Once he was done securing the blanket around Beret, there was nothing left to do but leave. Caliban stared down at the young woman who had taught him so much, and whom he had taught many things in return. They had only been in each other's company for just under a week, but to him, it felt like so much longer.

He leaned down and kissed Beret's lips one last time, taking in their softness. Then, he stood up and left, leaving one chapter of his life to pursue the next.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

After returning to the lab, Caliban observed his bride's lessons from across the room until the sun's rays began shining through the window. Victor had dressed her in a simple turquoise shift he'd purchased for her the previous day. By this time, he had been successful in teaching her how to eat and drink, and he was just starting to show her some words.

"This one here, try it. 'Friend.' Can you do that?"

The woman looked at him hesitantly for a few moments before opening her mouth and speaking in her thick Irish brogue.

"Fr-friend."

"Good!" Victor couldn't help but smile. "A friend is someone who is kind to you, someone you spend a great deal of time with."

His creation's eyes sparkled in understanding, and she smiled, slowly raising her hand to gesture at him.

"Friend?"

"Yes," Victor agreed, nodding. "Friend."

Then, he glanced over to where Caliban was lurking. Looking back at the woman, he smiled and took her hand, helping her stand up.

"There's someone I want you to meet."

As the two of them made their way towards him, Caliban stepped into the light. The woman didn't recoil from him as so many others had, but there was a look of strong reluctance in her face. She tried to hide behind Victor, but he gently took her arm and pulled her back.

"No, it's all right," he said soothingly. "It's all right. This is Caliban. He's your friend as well, like I am."

She looked at her creator for a few seconds and pointed towards Caliban.

"Friend?"

Victor nodded, squeezing her hand reassuringly until she relaxed, looked at her new "friend," and smiled slightly. Meanwhile, Caliban smiled back at his enchanting mate. He knew it would take time for her to learn, but she was showing wonderful progress so far. He was confident it would be worth the wait.

As he gazed at his bride-to-be, his thoughts momentarily wandered back to Beret.

_I hope she'll fare well._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Beret felt odd. She wasn't in her bed anymore, and she was no longer naked. Her eyes shot open, unsure if she was truly awake.

_What on earth…?_

As she stood, she recognized her surroundings. She was only a few feet from the last spot she remembered being in before her abduction. Barely able to fathom what was happening, Beret suddenly felt something pressing against her belly. She reached down and fished a silk purse out of her dress. Upon opening it, she was shocked to find several monetary notes and coins.

_Wait…this is…_

The truth hit her like a boulder rolling down the highest hill. She sank to her knees after a few seconds, leaning back against the brick wall. Her most paralyzing fear had been realized. And she had just reached the point where she thought Caliban had genuine feelings for her. It had all been a lie.

_He wanted to sleep with me and then discard me…just like the man from before._

Beret didn't even bother to hold back her tears. All of her pain was welling up within her, and she felt that if she didn't let it out immediately, she would surely die. After all of this, she wondered why she wasn't already dead.

Then, she felt something shift within her.

_Very well, so be it. I've fought against it for so long, but maybe I just didn't want to believe it was true. Being a disposable pleasure toy for men is all I'm good for in this world. It's obviously the only thing I can effectively do, so I might as well keep myself alive with it._

After wiping her tears away, Beret clutched the money to her chest and stood. She didn't waste another moment as she headed towards the clothing store across the walkway, eyeing a vibrant red dress in the window.

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	9. Chapter 9

_**Here we are again. Fair warning: this chapter contains violence and a bit of gore.**_

_**Read on and enjoy!**_

**EnglishHorrorStory-**** Thanks for the review; I'd glad you're still liking the story =)**

**ILoveThee-**** I'm pleased that you're enjoying it. And I'm off-the-charts excited for season 2 as well!**

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_One Month Later_

The woman was a fairly quick learner. This wasn't all that surprising, since she had two teachers instead of just one. Victor was her main instructor, but he often had work to do for Sir Malcolm and Miss Ives. After all, he now had three mouths to feed, which required him to work longer than before. Whenever he had to leave, Caliban would remain to keep his fellow creature company. He would also continue wherever Victor left off. While he wasn't as efficient with teaching as his creator was, the woman seemed to understand him well enough.

During this time, Caliban was stuck in a state of enchantment. The beauty of his mate was indescribable. He often had to stop himself from staring at her for too long. Even though her sessions were going well, there was still a lot for her to learn. She wasn't ready to become his bride just yet. The concept of romantic love was unknown to her, and she needed to be fully informed of it. In the meantime, she had been taught to view Caliban as her elder brother.

One morning, she was wandering around the lab, holding one of the doctor's books to her chest. Victor had been gone for a few hours, so Caliban was watching over her. However, she was rather restless and didn't want to remain still.

"Won't you sit down?" Caliban asked from the table, gesturing towards a nearby bowl of fruit. "Have an apple with me."

"Caliban," the woman muttered. "Victor, Caliban…"

She wasn't really speaking to anyone but herself. It was as if she was going through something in her mind and trying to figure it out. Not wanting to see her so concerned, Caliban slowly got up and approached her.

"What is it, sweetheart?" He had been using different endearments with her, wanting to practice for the future. "Tell me what is troubling you."

After pacing for a few more seconds, the confused woman looked at her "brother" and pointed towards him with her free hand.

"Caliban..._Caliban_…" When she got no response, she pointed at the door leading outside. "Victor…"

"I'm sorry, I don't…"

Then, she placed her hand on her chest, a look of hopelessness in her eyes.

"Me. _Me_, what…?"

At that moment, Caliban understood.

_Of course…she doesn't have a name yet!_

The door suddenly opened and closed. Victor stopped in his tracks when he saw his two creations standing in front of each other.

"What's going on?"

"I think she wants a name, creator," Caliban answered, smiling fondly at his mate.

"Oh, of course!" Victor placed his bag and coat next to the door and walked towards the woman. "Here, give me your book."

After taking the book, he led her towards the table and sat her down. Caliban followed them, moving to stand behind where his bride was seated. He gently rested his hands on her shoulders as the doctor took the chair across from her and opened the volume.

"Watch this."

He held up a finger and used his other hand to flip through the pages. When he swiftly brought his finger down, the woman was startled. She jumped slightly, but was comforted by Caliban. Once she was calm, Victor pushed the book across the table until it rested in front of her.

"Now you try."

After glancing at her creator for a second or two, the woman took it and flipped through it like he had. She thrust her finger forward until it rested on a page that had a sketch of a church. Victor looked at it and shook his head.

"That's all about the disciples of Saint Patrick. I doubt you'll find any female names there. Try again."

The woman was about to obey, but something on the page caught her eye. The paragraph her finger had landed on described a disciple who went by a very peculiar name.

"Brónach…"

She surprised herself by pronouncing the name with such ease. Upon hearing this, Victor was suddenly overcome by a surge of fear. He went to take the book from her, but she pulled it away. Caliban was confused by his maker's odd behavior. Nevertheless, he reached towards the book.

"My beloved, let me have it."

The woman pushed his hand aside and quickly stood up, backing away from both of them. She continued to stare at the volume, wanting to find out more about the name that had ensnared her. The sentence was about Saint Brónach of Ireland. According to the footnotes near the bottom of the page, the name was Irish Gaelic, originating from the word _brón._

_ Sadness…_

Then, out of nowhere, she threw the book across the room. Her entire viewpoint changed as a wave of images began to overflow her mind. She looked at her creator and slowly stepped towards him.

"Brónach…Brónach…_Brona_." The flash of nervousness in the doctor's eyes confirmed her suspicions. "I'm Brona!"

Victor glanced at Caliban for a moment before looking back at his irate creation.

"Miss Croft, please let me explain…"

"You…what have you done to me?" Brona ran her hands over her body, grimacing in disgust. "Ethan…where's Ethan?"

She walked towards the door, but Victor quickly grabbed her arm.

"No, you mustn't go to him!"

"Why?" she demanded, pulling away from him. "If not for Ethan, why am I here?"

Caliban stepped forward in a moment of panic. He hadn't anticipated this moment for so long only to lose everything now.

"You're mine," he said. "You must forget that other man, for I love you more than he ever could!"

Victor placed a calming hand on his firstborn's shoulder and nodded.

"He speaks the truth," he gently told Brona. "You're to be his wife. You are immortal, as is he. You would outlive Ethan, so there's nothing to gain from finding him."

Brona was completely taken aback by all of this. She spent a few seconds staring at Caliban before speaking in a shaky voice.

"Wife?"

When he nodded his head, she couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Caliban felt as if someone had torn him in two. His bride, his very essence, was laughing at him. Though his heart was breaking, he looked at her with all the hope remaining within him.

"I'm to be your wife?" Brona asked after a few moments. "No!"

Victor took another step forward, desperately trying to reason with her.

"Ethan believes you to be dead. Please, Miss Croft, try to understand."

"There's nothing to understand! You truly thought I'd want to marry _him?_" Not having enough courage to look at Caliban, Victor stared at Brona as she continued. "Fuck, no! I love Ethan, and he loves me! He won't care what I am."

When his intended approached the door again, time stopped for Caliban. All of the weeks, months, and years he had spent waiting for love had been for naught. He had tried fitting in with regular living people, but that hadn't resulted in anything good. Though he'd been cold his whole life, he barely noticed the flood of heat rushing through his veins. His vision suddenly clouded over, and he began to see many familiar memories flying by.

Victor screaming in horror at the mere sight of him and running away, ignoring his firstborn's cries…people on the streets scowling at him, as if he were an insect or a rodent…Maud's smile, which had turned into a laugh not unlike Brona's…Beret's magical eyes…

_Beret!_

She seemed to have grown fond of him as he had for her, even asking for his name. And in return, he cast her away, like she always feared would happen to her. He had made her nightmare a reality, and for what? For Brona, the only one of his species, who didn't return his love and never would!

The monster within Caliban's soul took hold of him, and he stormed forward with a cry of fury.

Brona didn't have any time to react as her "brother" clutched her by the neck and threw her against one of the tables. Victor stood there in stunned silence for a few moments before springing into action.

"Caliban, no! Stop!"

He tackled his firstborn from behind and tried to pull him away from Brona, but with a quick flick of his arm, Caliban tossed him backwards. Rubbing his aching limbs, Victor was helpless to do anything but watch as his heartbroken creature began to strangle Brona.

The more the woman struggled, the more Caliban tightened his fingers around her throat. While she also had unusual strength, she wasn't any match for him, especially not while he was in his state of anguish. Despite seeing the pain in her face, it wasn't enough to appease Caliban. He removed one hand from Brona's neck, only to thrust it forward and bury it within the deep cavity of her chest. Victor's cries of horror echoed in the back of his mind, but he didn't care. After feeling around inside Brona for another moment, he grasped her barely-beating heart and ripped it right out.

She was dead before she hit the ground. A pool of blood slowly formed beneath her, and her eyes stayed open, a permanent expression of terror frozen in them. Still unfazed, Caliban dropped the silent organ onto the floor, stepped over Brona's corpse, and advanced on Victor. The terrified doctor scrambled to get up, but his creation was far too quick. The creature fisted the front of Victor's shirt in one hand, using his bloodied one to grab his collar and lift him up. In a matter of seconds, he had his maker pinned against one of the lab's pillars.

But something within Caliban was preventing him from breaking Victor's neck. The raging demon screamed at him to do so, yet as he stared into the smaller man's frightened blue eyes, the small voice of reason grew louder and louder. After a few more moments, he carefully lowered his arm until Victor's feet were back on the ground. Though shaken by what had just occurred, the doctor looked into his creation's eyes.

The utter anguish and pain he saw in the yellow orbs made his insides ache. He promised Caliban an everlasting companion, and it had backfired horribly. Then again, he didn't know why that was so surprising.

_I meddled with things that should have been left alone. All of this is my fault._

After a couple more seconds had passed, Victor finally managed to speak.

"I'm…"

He didn't get to finish. Caliban released him and ran to the door, yanking it open with ease.

"Caliban, wait! Please!"

But he was already gone. Victor leaned back against the pillar and sank to the floor, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry…"

He didn't bother to hold back his tears as he thought about his firstborn. Frankly, he was sure Caliban had run off to end his own life.

_The poor wretched creature…maybe he's better off dead._

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	10. Chapter 10

_**Hello again! This chapter contains dub-con, descriptions of sexual assault, and overall mature content, so beware.**_

_**Read on and enjoy!**_

**EnglishHorrorStory-**** Why, thank you! =D**

**Mya-**** Thanks for the review; I'm glad you like it =)**

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All Caliban could do for the next hour was sit in a darkened street corner and sob. For the first time in his fairly short life, he had felt hope, and in what felt like an instant, it was ripped away from him. After the rest of society had cast him out, only another of his kind could have accepted him.

_Or so I foolishly thought…_

He was so angry with himself for thinking a wretch like him could ever find happiness in this cruel world. How arrogant he had been, even going so far as to ignore someone with such a tender heart.

_Oh, Beret…Beret!_

Caliban quickly rubbed the tears from his cheeks and stood. So much time had passed that he'd almost forgotten about the girl. He wasn't far from where he had left her unconscious form for the last time. After clumsily wiping his blood-soaked hand against the side of his coat, he set off.

It wasn't long before he made it to the crate, but Beret was nowhere to be found.

_What if…what if she left London after I brought her back here? What if something happened to her? She might have died…_

A horrifying panic rushed through the creature's body. Before he could worry for too much longer, an odd masculine groan punctured his hearing from around the corner. He grimaced slightly, recognizing the noise as being related to copulation. Caliban was about to retreat when he heard someone else…a woman. And it wasn't just any woman.

Moving very carefully, he slowly peeked around the corner. There, being held face-first against the wall as the man had his way with her from behind, was Beret. Cailban barely recognized her. Her old dress was gone, having been replaced with a corseted red frock. He couldn't see her eyes, as they were squeezed shut.

_She might be in pain…_

Before Caliban could think to rush forward and rip the animal off of her, the man backed away from Beret. He tossed a few coins onto the ground and walked away, refastening his trousers. The beast didn't even look back at the woman he'd just been intimate with. Beret shakily pulled her crimson skirts back down before bending over to pick up the coins.

As he watched his former captive walk back out into the open streets, Caliban's insides burned with rage. She used to be so innocent and clean in his eyes. But now, here she was…doing exactly what she swore never to do. What self-respecting person would subject themselves to such filth for something as materialistic as money?

Keeping his eyes on her, Caliban started to follow the young woman, making sure to stay plenty of paces behind.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

As the sun slowly began to set, Beret wandered back to the crate, clutching the whiskey she had just purchased against her chest. After the day she'd had, she needed it.

Ever since finding herself back on the streets, this was what her life had been like. She had approached another lady of the night after having put on her new dress. The older woman laughed at her, but was kind enough to offer her tips regarding what she was expected to do.

It was awful at the beginning, but she had gotten used to it. Still, she had yet to have a pleasant experience in her new profession. All of her customers were brutish and dirty. Not one of them asked for her name or even looked at her while taking her. It always happened from behind. While some of the men didn't go all the way with her, they had other alternative desires. Beret was often made to use her mouth on them, which was always awful. Her knees would get bruised from being on the ground, and her scalp would always be sore from the merciless yanking of her hair. While that act was appalling, it wasn't quite as painful as the other thing she had to do. She didn't understand why so many men enjoyed using her back entrance for their pleasure, but they did.

Her only relief was preparing herself for each day. The other prostitute suggested that she either lubricate her opening with olive oil or pleasure herself. The oil was too expensive, so she would just take care of it on her own. As painful as it was to think of Caliban, she would imagine the gentle things he bestowed upon her. That would always do the trick. Then again, a handful of her customers wanted to see her in pain, and would make her wipe away the slickness beforehand.

All of this was bad enough, but almost a week earlier, Beret had fallen ill. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but her stomach constantly ached, and her temperature was steadily rising. There wasn't any extra money to see a doctor or buy some medicine, so the young woman decided to let the sickness take its course.

_If I live, so be it. If I die, I'll be free of this godforsaken shit pile._

She sat upon the crate and took a long swig of the alcohol. It didn't have a pleasant taste, but its effects helped her forget her miserable life for a while. After a few seconds, she lifted the bottle and let some more of the liquid run down her throat. However, a hand suddenly came out of nowhere, snatched the bottle, and threw it against the brick wall across from her. Livid, she hopped down from her perch and turned on her assailant.

"Hey! What are you…?"

Her words froze in her throat as she came face to face with Caliban. Aside from wearing a black trench coat over his regular clothing, he didn't look any different from when she last saw him. But there was a look of ire on his face that she hadn't seen in a while.

Pushing past her shock, she spoke.

"What do you want?"

"How could you?" Caliban snapped, ignoring her question. "Have you no modesty?"

"Do you know how much that bottle cost me? That's half a day's work for nothing, you oaf."

In an instant, the creature's hands shot out and grabbed both her shoulders, pulling her to him.

"Never speak to me like that again."

"You can't order me around anymore!"

As he held onto the stumbling girl, it only took him a few seconds to figure out that she was inebriated. Despite knowing this, it didn't help him restrain his growing aggravation.

"Can you even see what you've become, or is your drunken stupor blinding you? You've betrayed yourself!"

No matter how drunk she was, that comment was enough to hurt Beret. She raised her arms and violently pushed herself away from Caliban, stumbling back against the crate.

"How dare you?" she growled. "How _fucking_ dare you? This is all your doing! You're the one who…"

Beret paused and turned away, coughing harshly. After a moment or two, she felt him step closer to her and carefully touch her back. But she recoiled until she was leaning on the wall.

"And see now? I've got some sort of fever, thanks to you! It might've never happened at all if you hadn't cast me out."

Overwhelmed by both Brona's rejection and Beret's cold words, Caliban couldn't help but bite back.

"You would have dishonored yourself even earlier if I hadn't found you. You should be grateful."

"Why'd you take me in the first place?"

Beret was shouting now, but she didn't care. No onlookers paid any attention to the words of a whore.

"Is that what you do? Snatch random girls off the street and ravish them until they bore you?"

"_No,_" Caliban replied forcefully. "You were my very first! It was…"

"It was what?"

He suddenly felt like a child under the scrutiny of an angry parent. But after all he had put Beret through, it would be a great disrespect to lie to her.

"You were meant to help me…prepare. There was a woman destined to be my bride, but she…"

The girl stared at him for a while. He was admitting to having used her, as if he were taking horseback riding lessons! But she didn't feel upset by this.

"She didn't want you?"

Caliban confirmed it, shaking his head. He looked down for a moment, but his eyes quickly shot back up when Beret burst into laughter.

"Well, of course she didn't!" she drawled after a few seconds. "Did you honestly think anyone could love an ugly monster like you?"

With that, she shoved him aside and started walking down the alley. Her remark stung Caliban's soul like nothing else ever had. Not exactly trusting himself to control his temper, he set after her. He caught up in a matter of seconds and grabbed her arm, pulling her around to face him.

"Let go!"

"Enough, Beret," Caliban snapped as she fought viciously against his tight grip. "_Enough_, I said!"

But the poor girl was beyond listening.

"Get away from me, you _freak!_"

She raised her free hand and slapped him hard across the face.

The force of it made Caliban look away for a moment. The blow itself didn't hurt him all that much, but the fact that Beret had struck him was shocking. Nobody had used physical force on him since the night those men beat him into unconsciousness. He'd held back his fury then, but now, he was past the point of no return.

Without another word, he put both arms around the girl and picked her up, pinning her arms to her sides. She immediately tried to struggle, but he restrained her with ease as he dragged her towards the end of the alleyway.

"Let me go!"

Beret briefly considered screaming for someone to help her, but she knew all too well that she would be ignored. When they reached a darkened crease between two buildings, Caliban put her down, only to roughly push her against the wall. Before the irate young woman could try to get away, the creature trapped her body with his, grabbing her neck with one hand and resting the other against the coarse bricks next to her head. They stared into each other's eyes, panting in wrath and exhaustion. For a split second, Beret thought Caliban would kill her.

Much to her surprise, he leaned down and captured her lips with his.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She remained in a state of shock for a moment or two before her brain finally started to work again.

_No, he's going to use me again, just like all the rest of them!_

Vainly trying to push him away, Beret squealed against his mouth, only for him to snake his tongue into hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, and in a moment of desperation, she bit down. Caliban pulled back slightly and shot her a piercing glare. Undeterred, he kissed her again, moving his hand from her neck to the back of her head. But the girl swiftly bit him once more, sinking her teeth into his bottom lip. Tasting blood, Caliban broke the kiss, and Beret quickly took the opportunity to knee him in the crotch. She was able to run a few feet, but it didn't take long for the creature to recover. He pounced on her from behind, pulling her to the ground beneath him.

Rolling the girl onto her back, Caliban moved his hands to the front of her rosy corset and ripped it clean off. Beret shut her eyes tightly, leaning her head back against the rough ground. No matter how vigorously she tried to block everything out, it was too much. She allowed the tears to fall when she felt his lips trailing down her neck.

"_Stop_ it," Beret begged, too tired to squirm anymore. "Just leave me alone!"

"Shhh…"

Caliban moved off of Beret and sat on his knees for a moment, but immediately seized her when she tried to stand. He drew her backwards into his lap, restraining both her arms with one of his. The weeping girl struggled in his embrace, but he moved his free hand onto her forehead and gently pulled her head back to rest against his shoulder.

"You didn't have to do that," Beret whimpered after a little while, eyeing her ruined corset lying on the ground a few feet away. "I need it, I have to…"

"No, you don't." Caliban began to slowly rock her back and forth, unable to endure seeing her in such sorrow. "You need not do that to yourself anymore. I'll take care of you."

He released her forehead and carefully moved the sleeve of Beret's dress down her arm until the top of her scar was revealed to him. Realizing what he was planning, the young woman tried to get up again, but was easily overpowered. She couldn't hold back a gasp as the creature grazed his fingertips over the scar and tenderly kissed her shoulder.

_No, I can't let him! He'll just leave after having his fill of me…_

No amount of fighting helped her to free herself. When his hand left her back and moved underneath her skirt, she was powerless to stop him.

"Please, don't!"

"Shhh, it's all right," Caliban whispered as he slid his hand between her legs and found her pleasure bump. "I'll not harm you."

Beret's eyelids fluttered as a wave of warmth ran down her spine. The creature's touch was just as gentle as it had been over a month earlier. As much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, she had missed him horribly. Her insides ached every day she lived without him. Sometimes she would daydream about him returning for her, but it had never happened. Not until now…

"You'll…you'll leave when you finish," she whispered, afraid of what his response would be.

"No," he replied almost fiercely. "Never again."

Despite being unsure of his honesty, Beret finally allowed her body to relax. This didn't go unnoticed by Caliban, who carefully turned her around and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss wasn't brutal, but it was full of hunger and need. Both of them had been starved of love and comfort their entire lives, and for a brief while, they'd found it in each other. They were two broken things that fit together perfectly.

Once a few more moments had passed, Caliban put one hand under the girl's bottom and stood, lifting her with him. She wrapped both arms around his broad shoulders as he held her against the wall. While capturing her in another kiss, Caliban opened the front of his pants with his free hand. After guiding himself to the woman's entrance, he moved his hand to her back and pulled her tightly against him, easily slipping into her.

Beret tried to restrain her moans of pleasure, but was unable to do so when he started moving. Hissing at the smooth feeling of this beautifully flawed creature, Caliban rested his forehead against hers. He pushed in and out for the next several minutes. Neither of them wanted to make it last, like their first time. It was as if they had been without food for weeks, and their stomachs needed to be filled quickly.

The girl eventually wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened her hold on him. She was getting closer to her release with every passing second. It wasn't long before she felt the heat building up in her belly. Beret leaned her head back against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut. However, Caliban moved his hand from her back to her cheek, desperate to see the blue of her eyes. The moment he did, it was over.

Fisting the fabric of his coat, Beret rested her head against his shoulder as she climaxed. She had never done so while any of her clients took her. Only Caliban knew how to make her feel strong and weak at the same time. After a long while, her head came down from the clouds, and she felt the cold hand on her face again. She opened her eyes to meet Caliban's yellow ones. And for an amount of time unknown to either of them, all they could do was gaze at each other.

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	11. Chapter 11

_**I'm back! Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but I still hope you like it. Read on and enjoy.**_

**Mya-**** Indeed, it won't be an easy situation for them to get through. Thanks for reviewing =)**

**ILoveThee-**** Yes, they've got a long and difficult journey ahead of them. I'm glad you're still liking the story!**

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Once readjusted, the two of them sat down right there, leaning against the wall. Beret allowed Caliban to lift her onto his lap. She was too worn-out to consider resisting, so she laid her head back onto his shoulder as he draped his arms around her middle.

It was silent for a long time. Only after several minutes had passed did the creature finally speak.

"I'm not human, Beret." He was a bit taken aback when she didn't react, but continued anyways. "I was put together from different portions of mortal corpses and revived with lightning."

This time, he stopped talking and waited for a response. After a little while, Beret replied in a very calm manner.

"That doesn't surprise me."

The admission sounded like a fish tale, but after every hardship the girl had undergone, she believed anything could happen. In fact, it explained a lot.

"Is that why your eyes have such a fearsome color? And why everything else about you is…the way it is?"

"Yes."

Beret blinked a bit before raising a hand and resting it upon her companion's arm. Taking a few seconds to relish the contact, Caliban spoke again.

"The man who created me also made a woman. She was meant to be my mate, but she spurned me."

At this, Beret couldn't help but feel pity for him.

_It must have been painful…_

"I killed her," Caliban added. "Just hours ago, I killed her with my bare hands. And she wasn't the first. I murdered two others a while back."

When the girl didn't so much as flinch, the creature tightened his embrace.

"Does that not frighten you?"

"Why?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Those other two, why did they die?"

Caliban grimaced at the memory.

"My creator was against constructing another being like myself, so I took the lives of innocent people to…persuade him. I had nothing against either of them, but I slaughtered them nonetheless."

At this point, he was trying to scare Beret into being just a little horrified.

"But it was in vain, it seems," he continued. "Two lives vanquished for nothing."

Still no reaction. After staring at the back of her head for a while, Caliban felt a little annoyed.

_Anyone else would have already fled after hearing my words. Why hasn't she?_

"Do you think me a monster?"

He was surprised when the girl started to faintly laugh. When she replied, he could hear the smile in her voice.

"If you're a monster, I must be one as well."

Before Caliban could disagree, she quickly spoke once more.

"You were right. I've broken a promise to myself, desecrated my body countless times. Is that not one of life's greatest sins?"

The creature felt such strong guilt at having said those things to her, but at the same time, he was starting to see how alike the two of them really were.

Beret melted into his arms a little bit more, smiling to herself.

"Perhaps we're both monsters."

After a while, Caliban nodded.

"Yes. Perhaps."

He pressed a soft kiss against her temple, resting his head next to hers.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Before the sun completely disappeared from the sky, Caliban had lifted Beret into his arms and was carrying her through the maze of alleyways. The streets were aglow with lamps and the blissful voices of the people. There certainly wasn't any room for a pair of demons to be wandering about.

Eventually, they wandered out of London altogether, coming across some woods. It would be pitch dark under normal circumstances, but the moon was full and acted as a large lantern in the black sky. Both of them appreciated the solitude of the forest, though the winter wasn't as welcoming.

Despite the bitter cold, Beret was still burning up, which had Caliban incredibly worried. He knew about a few diseases involving a rise in body heat, but hoped it was merely a temporary fever that wouldn't lead to anything.

_We need to find somewhere to stop…_

Caliban wasn't tired of carrying the girl, as his stamina was unmatched by any other mortal. He could continue this forever, but the wind was becoming relentless. Beret would surely freeze to death if they didn't find shelter.

Then, as if God himself had taken mercy on the two sinners, the moonlight illuminated a small cabin with walls of cemented stones. There were no lights shining through the windows, so the creature approached it and carefully kicked open the unlocked door.

By the looks of it, the cabin had been abandoned. Everything was dusty, most of the windows were broken, and the bed had a few dried leaves upon it. This didn't suppress Caliban's determination. There was a pile of wood near one window, so after setting the girl onto the bed, he placed a few of the logs into the fireplace. It took several minutes, but he was ultimately able to generate a flame. Once sure the fire wouldn't go out, he lifted Beret with one arm and used the other to sweep the leaves off of the bed.

Beret was half-asleep, but she put her arms around Caliban's shoulders as he pulled back the covers and put her down. Though the sheets were free from dirt or grime, they were awfully chilly. The creature quickly remedied this by grabbing one of the bedposts and effortlessly moving the entire bed closer to the fire. As the blankets were draped over the girl, she was hit by a warm wave of softness and security. Despite the disheveled state of the cabin, she had never felt more comfortable.

Caliban glanced around for a few seconds, wanting to see if there was anything else he could do for her. Upon finding nothing, he unbuttoned his coat, dropped it on the floor, and carefully got onto the bed behind Beret. He felt her forehead for a little while before wrapping both arms around her.

_Her fever hasn't risen any higher. For now, at least._

The two of them laid there in silence for a long time. After all they'd been through, together and apart, there wasn't enough energy to talk about anything. Beret stared into the growing fire, letting herself get lost in the colors. She could hardly believe this was happening. A day earlier, she was uselessly trying to fall asleep next to the crate, fighting to ignore the winter gusts. She was alone, without a friend in the world. Now, it was as if that whole experience was nothing but a bad dream.

Out of the blue, a horrifying thought crossed her mind.

_What if his mate hadn't rejected him? He would be with her…I'd still be out on the streets!_

She pressed her face against her pillow, trying to hide the tears sliding down her cheeks. However, Caliban's sense of sight was stronger than she thought. He pulled her closer to him and cupped her face with his free hand.

"What is it?" he asked gently, holding onto her when she tried to look away. "Please tell me."

After a few moments, Beret spoke in a shaky voice.

"What if she loved you? Would you've come looking for me, or thought of me at all?"

Caliban stared at her, considering her words. Things surely would have happened differently if Brona hadn't regained herself.

_She likely would have remembered sooner or later, though._

But he honestly wasn't sure what it would've been like if the woman's memories never returned. She still could have pushed him away, or she could have loved him with all the passion in the universe. If she ultimately did love him, he likely would have stayed with her forever. He wouldn't have forgotten about Beret, but he never would have sought her out either.

Wanting to be honest with the girl rather than telling her what she probably wanted to hear, Caliban spoke the truth.

"If she loved me, I wouldn't have come after you."

Beret closed her eyes. It was what she expected to hear, and she was pleased with the creature's openness. Still, he wasn't finished.

"But she _didn't_ love me, Beret. If someone doesn't find love in one place, they seek it out in another. Is that not the nature of things?"

It was a keen observation on his part, but the tearful girl remained doubtful.

"Did you not feel love when we were first together?"

"I didn't truly know what love was. All I had to go on were my books, as my upbringing lacked a teacher. Before, it seemed logical to be with someone of my own kind. But…love isn't quite that limited, is it?"

Beret was too tired to shake her head, but she knew he was right.

"One can love another like them," Caliban continued, "but it cannot always be that way. Love is never chosen. I wasn't aware of it before, but I am now."

He tightened his hold a little bit, looking deep into her eyes.

"We…" Pausing, he remembered something said to him a long while before. "We take the happiness we can."

It suddenly seemed like Beret would slip away at any moment, so Caliban intensified his embrace and wiped a drying tear from her cheek.

"The past is the past. I'm here with you now, and I am happy."

After a few seconds of quiet had gone by, Beret slowly raised a hand and rested it upon Caliban's arm.

"As am I," she whispered.

Eventually, the content young woman was able to fall asleep, safe in the arms of her imperfect equal.

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	12. Chapter 12

_**Hi again! Sorry for not updating sooner, but this chapter is quite long, so I hope that makes up for it. Mature content lies ahead, so beware.**_

_**Read on and enjoy!**_

**Mya-**** Thanks, I'm glad you still like the direction it's going in =)**

**EnglishHorrorStory-**** Thank you!**

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Caliban got up a while before Beret. There wasn't any water inside, so after replenishing the fire, he went outside with an empty bucket. It didn't take him very long to find a stream, since he was able to run without having to stop and rest. The water seemed clean enough, so he filled the bucket and quickly brought it back to the cabin.

The girl was still sleeping. After looking at her for a second or two, the creature figured that she might like to wash herself, especially after having lived in such filth for as long as she did.

_I could use a bit of a wash myself, come to think of it._

He heated some of the water over the fire, poured it into a basin he'd found, and tossed in a little piece of the bed sheets. While Beret was still asleep, there was no telling when she would wake up, so Caliban squeezed the dampened rag and stepped behind a corner. He didn't bother to remove his clothing in case the young woman suddenly stirred. Instead, he simply slid the cloth underneath his shirt and trousers, rubbing at everything he could reach. After putting the rag back into the basin, he quickly walked next to the fire to dry off.

Hearing a shift next to him, Caliban looked at the bed and saw Beret's eyes slowly opening. Her ailment didn't appear to be any worse, which set him at ease. But for some reason, her hands were shaking.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Beret felt awful. Her head hurt, and she could practically feel the sweat sliding down her skin. For a moment, she thought it might be related to her illness, but then, it came to her.

_The whiskey…_

After her eyes had adjusted, she noticed Caliban standing by the fire. In an instant, he was kneeling next to the bed and had taken one of her trembling hands into his.

"What is it?" he asked, a look of vulnerability in his eyes.

"I think my…my body notices the lack of liquor."

The creature got up and searched the nearby cabinets. Upon finding a metal cup, he dipped it into the water bucket and brought it to Beret.

"Here," he muttered, using his free hand to help the girl sit up.

The water helped a little bit, but she was still in a bad way. Caliban set the cup aside and gently moved a few stray locks out of her face. He pressed his hand against her slick forehead, almost wincing at her ever-present fever.

"Can you eat?"

Beret barely had enough strength to shake her head. Despite her response, Caliban stood and looked around the cabin for a food source. He eventually came across a rotting wooden box filled with several jars of what looked like preserved strawberries.

_It's not much, but it should do for now._

He opened one of the jars and sat next to Beret. The girl had never eaten strawberries before, but she often heard of how nice they tasted. Still, her appetite was nonexistent. Not accepting this, Caliban plucked a berry from the jar and held it an inch or two from the young woman's reluctant lips.

"You have to eat, Beret," he said somewhat harshly. "You'll starve if you don't."

His demeanor softened at the sight of her deteriorated form. While still adamant, he tried reasoning with her.

"Just have a few for now, and then you can rest."

As much as Beret wanted to rest without having to eat, Caliban's compromise was fair. She allowed the creature to feed her some of the berries, which were actually quite good. Once her promise was fulfilled and she'd had a little more water, she was able to relax again. But her body still wouldn't stop shaking. After putting another log onto the fire, Caliban climbed onto the bed and settled behind Beret. He held her tighter than usual in an attempt to still her. Though the girl continued to feel the effects of the withdrawal, Caliban's embrace was very soothing. She still felt the cold coming from both him and the winter air, but the nearby fire helped to comfortably balance everything.

Before too long, she was finally able to fall asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOO

For the rest of the day, Beret continuously drifted in and out. Her quakes would return every now and then, but Caliban was always ready to tend to her. If the fire started to die down, he put more wood on. If the girl's head began hurting again, he would quell it with a cool hand. He truly meant it when he said he would take care of her.

The two of them ate a few more strawberries as the sun went down. Beret's appetite had improved a bit, and she had stopped shaking. While her profuse sweats had also ceased, she felt awfully sticky and damp. This didn't go unnoticed by Caliban, who approached the water basin he'd used earlier and picked up the rag.

"Would you like me to wash you?" Beret didn't relish the idea of taking her clothes off in such chilly weather, but her former captor was way ahead of her. "You can sit by the fire so it won't be too cold."

She slowly sat up and rose to her feet. It took a few seconds for her limbs to get used to moving again, but once they did, she carefully untied the back of her crimson dress and stepped out of the garment. After kneeling next to the fire, she impulsively wrapped her arms around herself. But a cool hand stopped her. As he knelt beside Beret, Caliban gently pulled her towards him and started rubbing the cloth up and down her arm.

The close proximity of the fire was soothing enough, but Beret truly enjoyed the tender touches of her unworldly companion. He washed his way up her arms and across her back, only stroking hard enough to clean the sweat away. Even though he had seen her naked before, the girl couldn't help but feel shy. She looked away as the creature bathed her legs and privates.

As if he'd seen through her, Caliban softly cupped her jaw in one hand and turned her towards him, faintly wiping her face with the rag. Once done, he carelessly dropped the cloth onto the ground and drew her into his arms. Beret closed her eyes as her cheeks and forehead were peppered with kisses. A piece of her insecurities vanished with every touch of his lips to her skin.

After a few minutes, the water droplets remaining on her form began to dry. She felt much better, now that she was free from her own pollution. Then, a thought entered her mind.

"May I wash _you_ now?"

Caliban glanced down at her for a moment before shaking his head.

"It isn't necessary," he told her, smiling reassuringly. "I already washed myself before you woke this morning."

"But surely you couldn't reach your shoulders and back. I can help you."

"No, I reached enough on my own."

The creature grabbed the rag, stood, and walked a few feet away, dropping it on the floor. Beret stared at him, trying to figure out why he didn't want her to see what his clothing covered.

"Do you not trust me?" she asked, moving to sit on the bed.

"I trust you with my life." Caliban looked away for a while before finally glancing at the young woman. "I care for you very much, far too much to revolt you with things best left unseen."

"I'm willing to take that chance."

"But I'm not. You'd see nothing but monstrosity."

"I thought we were both monsters."

"No, you are—"

"_Caliban_."

His words disappeared from his thoughts. She had never called him by his name before, and the mere sound of it nearly rendered him unable to move. The look in those blue eyes made his yellow ones fill with tears. For all her faults, she was too wonderful and precious to behold his ugliness. But he couldn't bear to refuse her. After a few seconds, the creature took several shaky steps towards the bed and stopped right next to the girl.

Seeing the tears building up in Caliban's eyes, Beret rose to her feet and reached up to hold his deathly pale face in her hands. The skin was cold to the touch, but it was surprisingly soft as well. She gently pulled him closer, and he was happy to bend down and accept her kiss. Melting into it, he rested a hand on the woman's waist, lifting the other to lovingly rub the scar on her back.

After a little while, Beret broke the kiss, keeping her hands on the creature's face. She stared into his eyes as she moved her left hand up a little bit. Caliban couldn't help but freeze when he felt her fingers graze the jagged scar on his head. He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until the girl's soft fingertips followed the scar down his neck and stopped at the highest button of his shirt. She rested her hand against the fabric for a few seconds before slowly undoing the button.

Once the shirt was opened, Caliban quickly covered himself with his arms. However, Beret lightly grasped his wrists and tried to pry them off.

"Please," the creature whispered in a tone that nearly reduced Beret to tears.

_How horribly does he regard himself that he cannot bear for anyone to look at him?_

She gently took one of his hands into hers and brought it to her chest, moving it to rest above her heart.

"I'm here," she said softly. "I'm not leaving."

Not taking his eyes from hers, Caliban lowered his other arm and reluctantly allowed the girl to pull the shirt off of him. He could feel her gazing at him, as if her eyes were her fingers all over again. It was too much for him to handle. After a few seconds, he sat down on the bed and stared at his lap. Beret carefully stepped closer to him. She was taken aback when he suddenly reached out and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her firmly against him. But her shock went away when he rested his head on her chest and she felt the sobs vibrating through his body. Her heart pounded wildly, breaking for the pitiable man in her arms.

Caliban's tears dampened the girl's skin, but she didn't care. All she cared about was comforting him and making the tears go away. Once several long minutes had passed, she lifted one hand from his shoulder and brushed her fingers against his damaged cheek.

"Will you do something for me?" she whispered.

After regaining control of himself, Caliban leaned back a few inches and peered up at her with reddened eyes.

"Anything."

The girl tenderly wiped his remaining tears away with her thumbs before stepping towards her pillows and readjusting them against the headboard.

"Lay down, on your back."

Caliban hesitated for a moment, but ultimately obeyed. As the young woman climbed onto the bed and joined him, he suddenly felt exposed, despite only being half naked.

"Will you do one other thing?" Beret asked carefully, receiving a tentative nod in response. "Let me take these off as well."

The creature became afraid again when he felt the small hands unfastening his trousers, but he made himself calm down.

_I've seen her, after all. It's only fair that she be allowed to see me._

Even thought he was still nervous, Caliban felt reassured by Beret's lack of repulsion as the pants were pulled off and tossed to the floor. His entire form was completely visible to her now, and she had yet to recoil in disgust. It was highly surprising to him. However, he was still self-conscious, especially when Beret lay down next to him.

But the compassionate kiss she gave him a few seconds later made his worries go away. Unable to contain himself, Caliban wrapped his arms around her and pulled her right on top of him. He nearly grinned when the smaller being scrambled around and tried to prop herself up.

"I don't want to crush you," Beret stuttered.

She attempted to get up again, but was dragged back down.

"You won't."

The girl allowed a faint smile to escape as the creature drew her in for another kiss. After a little while, she swiftly sat astride his waist, moved her hands to both sides of his face, and gradually broke the kiss. Caliban closed his eyes as he felt the soft lips trailing across his cheek and against his scar. It was as if each of the young woman's kisses healed the wounds a little bit.

Beret moved the man's hair away from his injury as she proceeded. Not wanting to leave anything unattended to, she slowly kissed down his neck, following the scar as if it were a pathway. It led her down to his clavicle, where another badly healed scar stretched across it and continued straight down his pale chest.

None of this repulsed her. In fact, it made her heart ache for him even more. She took a moment to glance at him before leaning back down and resuming her kisses at his collarbone. Before long, Caliban found himself trying to hold back his ecstatic sounds. It proved to be difficult, especially when Beret moved one hand down to his chest and gently stroked the soft tufts of hair.

As a quiet whimper escaped from the creature's dark lips, Beret halted and looked up at him.

"Tell me if you need me to stop," she said, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

"Don't," Caliban got out in a subdued breath. "Please don't stop."

Once finished with the upper scars, the girl began following the longest one down his torso. Her hands explored any unoccupied skin that she could reach. Upon running out of room a little while later, Beret carefully sat up and moved down Caliban's form, straddling his thighs. She was momentarily taken aback when she felt his arousal beneath her exposed core.

Caliban wanted to watch everything she did, but it was too intense for him to not close his eyes. The physical affection was powerful enough, but the poor creature could hardly handle the way she was worshiping his deformities. Every kiss pressed against his horrid scars made the girl shine even brighter. His own creator had fled from him, and nearly everyone else had turned away, unable to bear the mere sight of him. But not Beret.

After reaching the end of the scar, she continued kissing downwards. Caliban shut his eyes again, trying to control his breathing. Overcome by an impulse, Beret bent down to take him into her mouth. A strangled cry escaped the creature, and it took a great deal of his strength to not finish right then and there. Taking this as a good sign, the young woman proceeded. In the past, it had been a disgusting chore whenever she was forced to do this. But instead of being humiliated by countless revolting men, she was now performing an intimate act of love on someone who needed love more than anyone else on the planet.

Caliban took Beret's free hand into his larger one, being careful not to crush it. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer, so once he was able to control himself, he spoke.

"B-Beret, I…" he stuttered, barely finding his voice. "I can't, I'm going to…"

The girl moved her hand out of his and gingerly ran it across his belly, pausing to let her fingers graze his scar. This was enough to hurl Caliban over the edge. He leaned his head back against the pillow and released with a throaty moan. Afterwards, Beret was a bit clueless about what to do next. She started to pull back, but Caliban suddenly sat up, enveloped her in his arms, and tugged her tightly against him. He then kissed her with all the passion within him. Not only had this young woman brought him indescribable pleasure, but also, she'd accepted his scars and taken away his pain. It was time for him to return the favor. He ran his fingers through the girl's hair and turned her around in his lap. Beret gasped at the feeling of Caliban's cold lips against her own scar. She was now the one who had to keep herself under control.

Before she knew what was happening, she was on her back with Caliban kneeling between her parted legs. The creature ran his long fingers down her thighs and rested them on her knees. He'd caught a glimpse of the bruises and scrapes on them. Cradling one leg in his arms like a mother would hold an infant, he leaned his head towards the knee and kissed every blemish he could find. After doing the same with the other knee, he stared down at Beret.

The young woman wasn't frightened as those blazing eyes pierced hers. She felt like the prey being tracked down by the predator, but it was almost exciting. Her breath caught in her throat as Caliban slowly began crawling up her body. He stopped to ghost his lips across her inner thighs for a second or two before continuing upwards. Beret impulsively squirmed, only for the creature to restrain her hips with one arm. He didn't break eye contact for a moment as he moved his free hand to the girl's entrance, gently teasing her with his fingers.

No matter how much Beret thrashed, there was no way to escape Caliban's touches. He kept her on the edge for several minutes, eventually bending down and adding his mouth to the mix. Before long, the breathless young woman couldn't take it anymore.

"Please," she begged, overwhelmed with arousal. "Caliban, I need you. Please!"

Unable to deny her for another second, Caliban moved back up her body the rest of the way and swiftly slid into her, swallowing her moan in a heated kiss. He rested his forehead against hers and wrapped one arm tightly around her shoulders, while she put both her arms around his neck. His free hand snaked underneath the girl's form and cupped her bottom, drawing more cries from her as she was pulled even closer. Neither of them would last long at this rate, but they couldn't care less.

Soon, they reached their peaks. Caliban buried his face in the crook of Beret's neck, gently kissing her supple skin. He gradually trailed his kisses up her neck and across her cheek until he reached her mouth. After taking a moment to stare at his lover's glowing face, he tenderly pressed his lips against hers. Beret softly moaned into the kiss. Once she came to her senses, she raised a trembling hand and placed it on the man's cheek, rubbing his scar with her thumb. Caliban slowly broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes. He wasn't sure if he should say something, but after looking at her for another second, he knew nothing needed to be said.

After withdrawing from her, the creature rolled onto his side, bringing Beret with him. She, in turn, rested her head against his cool chest. As he felt the girl slowly drifting away in his arms, Caliban gently kissed the top of her head and moved one hand to cup her face. He had no use for sleep, but he closed his eyes nonetheless. This moment was too precious to waste.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hello again! Sorry for the delay; I've been pretty busy with school stuff, and my creativity was further shattered by Leonard Nimoy's death last week (may he RIP and LLAP). But I'm back now! This chapter isn't too explicit, but it contains themes of illness and overall unpleasantness, so beware.**_

_**Read on and enjoy!**_

**Mya-**** Thanks for reviewing! And as for your questions, read on to find out… ;)**

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The next morning, Caliban had just started to think clearly again after his climax. However, in his cloud of euphoria, he noticed a look of discomfort in Beret's eyes. The girl tried to hide it as she looked away and moved to get off of the creature, only to be stilled by his hands on her hips.

"What is it?" he asked softly, trailing one hand up and down her arm.

"It's nothing, I…"

An ache had manifested itself within Beret's stomach during their lovemaking. It was similar to the pains she'd felt several days earlier, and that worried her greatly. She felt a bit better near the end of the previous day, and for the first time in a long while, a sense of hope was present. But now, she didn't feel any improvement at all. If anything, it had gotten worse.

There was no hiding her turmoil from her companion. The man slowly sat up and pulled her close, staring deep into her eyes.

"Are you in pain?"

"Just my belly," she said, trying to sound optimistic.

Caliban glanced down for a moment before carefully moving the young woman onto her back, withdrawing from her in the process. He rested one hand above Beret's navel and started rubbing, as if trying to brush the ache away. After doing this for a minute or two, he bent down and kissed her skin, darting his tongue out every now and then. His long hair resting against her sensitive flesh added even more comfort, and she was able to relax for a bit.

Once a few more minutes had gone by, Caliban stopped and looked at Beret.

"Better?"

While her stomach was still hurting, she wanted to keep both their hopes up.

"I will be."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

She was wrong.

By the end of the day, Beret's stomachache was so extreme that she was doubled over in pain. Caliban had washed her dress earlier and dried it by the fireplace, but the feeling of the warm fabric against the girl's skin wasn't enough to soothe her. No matter how hard she tried to hold back her tears, they just kept coming. She couldn't even think about eating or drinking at this point. All Caliban could do was hold her in his arms. He never had to worry about becoming sick, so he was completely at a loss when it came to this predicament.

Fortunately, after a couple of hours, the pains subsided enough for Beret to get some sleep. They resumed on and off throughout the night, but it wasn't as bad as before. While his lover slept, Caliban maintained his embrace, never letting up for a second. Despite the comfort he was bringing her, he wished he knew how to rid her of the illness. A small part of him wondered if Victor would know what to do, but he forced the thought away.

_He'd never help me, not after all I've done. If anything, he'd shoot me if I returned._

For now, the only thing he could do was keep Beret as healthy as possible. She would likely feel better by sunrise.

_She must. She has to…_

OOOOOOOOOO

While Beret's stomach wasn't hurting as much, her fever had increased. Her strength was significantly diminished as well, due to both her ailment and the withdrawal still present within her. Despite a great amount of begging on Caliban's part, the girl couldn't eat a bite. It felt as if she would explode upon eating the tiniest morsel of food. She was starting to expect the worst, but not wanting to frighten her lover, she buried her worries in the back of her mind.

Sometime in the afternoon, Caliban got dressed and left the cabin to get more water. While out, he caught sight of a few rabbits, which gave him an idea. During his first several months alone in the attic of Victor's former abode, he was forced to pursue wandering lab rats as his primary food source.

_Surely these creatures will make for easy catches as well._

He carefully broke a thin stick off a tree, and once he'd checked to see which end was the sharpest, he took a faint step forward and swiftly aimed it at the closest one. The unusual strength of his throw ensured a quick death for the rabbit. Caliban's insides burned with satisfaction as he carried the water and his kill back to the cabin.

_It's not much, but a bit of meat might help her._

But even after skinning the animal and preparing it over the fireplace, he still couldn't get Beret to eat. He ate a large amount of it himself and assured the girl of its satisfactory taste, which wasn't a lie. This had no effect. As much as the creature wanted to stay positive, he was starting to become aggravated.

"You've gone too long without food as it is," he told her, not bothering to hide his frustration. "You must have something."

Fed up with fighting him, Beret spoke up.

"Caliban, it…it's no use. Whether I eat or not, I'm d—"

"_No,_" he snapped, his yellow eyes blazing with fury. "No, you're not. Don't _ever_ think of such things!"

Suddenly afraid of him again, the girl winced. She didn't want to give in to her illness, but her body was exhausting itself with every passing moment. At this point, she was fighting a losing battle.

Once a long moment of tense silence had gone by, Caliban's expression hardened.

"You're going to eat, Beret. I don't wish to force you, but I will if I must."

Beret felt angry with this.

_How can he be so callous? Why can't he just accept the inevitable and let me die in peace?_

She suddenly became overwhelmed with guilt. Caliban had gone his whole life without love, and to suddenly deprive him of it was perhaps the cruelest thing of all. Then again, she was also robbing herself of the best thing that ever happened to her. Her demise would be an unfair thing for many reasons, but despite this, she was too tired to keep herself alive. The thought of trying to hope for a happy ending was exhausting enough, and she was sick of it.

Beret allowed her ire to return as she rolled onto her side, facing away from her companion. Only a few seconds had passed when she felt Caliban climb onto the bed and grab her arm. She squirmed as she was pushed onto her back, but her strength was nonexistent compared to his. The creature seized her jaw with one hand and used the other to press a piece of rabbit to her lips. He pushed harder as the girl clenched her mouth shut. Before he could try anything else, Beret lifted her arms and shoved at his hands, knocking the meat to the floor.

Caliban quickly pushed himself up and stood next to the bed. He stared down at the girl, and the sight of her turning away from him again ignited his insides with rage.

_How could she…? She's not even trying to recover!_

That single thought drove him to his limit. After everything they'd shared together, and after being apart for so long, Beret wanted to throw it away. Caliban had tried not to think of possibly losing her, but whenever the idea crossed his mind, he imagined her fighting off her doom as long as possible. What he saw in front of him now was a person who'd given up. This young woman had gone through things one wouldn't wish on their worst enemy, but because of a mere sickness, she was rejecting a chance to start her life over again.

All of this was dreadful enough, but Beret didn't seem to be taking Caliban into account. She knew perfectly well that she was all he had left, the only good thing in his life. Had she thought about how her death would destroy him? If so, did it even matter to her? The creature narrowed his eyes, refusing to let anything weaken his determination.

_She will not leave me. I won't let her!_

Caliban grabbed the nearest bed sheet and ripped a thin piece off of it. Before the girl could look to see what was happening, he pushed her down and held her wrists behind her.

"Stop," Beret yelled, vainly pulling at her binds as she was rolled onto her back. "_Stop_ it!"

Ignoring her, Caliban retrieved a fresh piece of rabbit and got back on the bed. He effectively stilled most of Beret's struggles by straddling her waist. Then again, there wasn't much time to resist as he grabbed her face and began his second attempt. The young woman still refused to open her mouth, so he squeezed her cheeks with his fingers and swiftly pushed the food past her lips when they finally slackened. Before she could spit it out, he immediately moved his hand to cover her mouth. The meat was still hot from being roasted over the fire, and it burned Beret's tongue to the point that she had no choice other than to chew and swallow.

Once sure of her obedience, the creature removed his hand and stared down at her. She wasn't looking at him, but was unable to hide the tears filling her eyes. Caliban's heart ached upon seeing her like this, so he made one last attempt to reason with her.

"Please…just have a little bit more."

But her refusal to answer hardened his resolve again.

"Then you leave me no choice."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

After a long struggle, all the edible parts of the rabbit were gone. Caliban moved off of Beret and carefully untied her wrists. The girl quickly brought her hands in front of her and hugged herself, wanting nothing more than to shrink away and die. She didn't want to let her tears fall, but her will to fight was reduced to almost nothing. Still, she refused to look at the creature. He would not see her tears.

Caliban had a sip of water and made his way towards the bed. He hated seeing his lover in such a distraught state, but she had forced his hand. If he'd just stood by and let her starve, he could never forgive himself. He gently pulled back the covers and climbed in next to Beret, who still had her back to him. For a little while, the creature stared at her.

_I likely frightened her, but…that can't last._

He slowly moved one hand under the covers and rested it upon Beret's waist. However, she rolled forward until he lost his grip. A sharp sting ran through Caliban's form at this, but he wasn't going to give up. He put his hand back where it was, only for the girl to push it off of her.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, not bothering to open her eyes.

Something within Caliban gave way. Unable to contain his hurt for another moment, he reached out, wrapped both arms around Beret's middle, and forced her onto her back. She tried to struggle, even going so far as to kick him. But he swiftly restrained her legs with his and pinned her arms to her sides.

"How _dare_ you say that," he snarled, no longer caring if he scared her. "You're mine!"

Beret's remaining strength wasn't nearly enough to break free, but she turned her head away as much as she could. This proved to be a mistake. Caliban removed one arm from his iron grip, only to roughly grab her jaw with his newly freed fingers.

"You will not shrink back from me!" He tightened his hold on her face when she tried to look away, unfazed by her whimpers of pain. "Never again, do you understand?"

No longer holding her tears in, Beret closed her eyes. This intensified Caliban's fury even more.

"Answer me!" he hissed.

"Yes, _yes!_"

After a few moments, Caliban was able to calm himself. He became aware of the soft weeping coming from the terrified woman. Wanting nothing more than to make her forget their troubles, he bent down and kissed her, squeezing her jaw when she tried to turn from him. It was hard to ignore the mournful cries vibrating against his lips, so he pulled back after a little while.

Beret squirmed as the creature leaned back against the pillows, bringing her with him. Her thrashing proved useless against his powerful embrace.

"Enough," Caliban softly told her, cradling her head against his chest. "Go to sleep."

Once a couple of minutes went by, the girl eventually wore herself out. She was able to hold back her sobs, but the tears running down her face were too numerous to halt. Despite being deathly afraid for a great many reasons, more afraid than she'd ever felt in her life, Beret was ultimately able to shut her eyes and find temporary solace in her dreams.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


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